Fajardo, Bolden to be feted in PSA Awards

Two great individuals who excelled in their respective fields will be a big part of the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night at the Diamond Hotel.

Cager June Mar Fajardo and booter Sarina Bolden have been named Mr. Basketball and Ms. Football, respectively by the oldest media organization in the Philippines, headed by its president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star.

This is the sixth time in the last seven years Fajardo was accorded the same honor during the traditional awards night, his string of five straight titles being broken last year by Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson.

Bolden meanwhile, will be bestowed the distinction for the second straight time.

Set on Jan. 29, the formal event is presented by the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus, with major sponsors Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, PLDT/Smart, Cignal, and MILO. It is also backed by the Philippine Basketball Association, 1-Pacman Partylist Rep. Mikee Romero, Premier Volleyball League, and Rain or Shine.

Fajardo, 34, and Bolden, 27, both had banner years in 2023 that saw them spearheaded the Philippine teams’ campaign in major international meets.

The 6-foot-10 San Miguel Beer center was in Cambodia as part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that successfully regained the basketball gold in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

Three months later, Fajardo and the Philippine team played before adoring local basketball fans during the FIBA World Cup, which the country co-hosted with Japan and Indonesia. Gilas failed to advance in the knockout stage, but earned one of three Asian berths to the FIBA Qualifying Tournament to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But the 6-foot-10 product of University of Cebu saved his best for last, playing a major role in the national squad’s unexpected march to the gold medal of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China that ended the country’s 61 years of waiting to reclaim basketball supremacy in the region.

Locally, Fajardo’s star also shone bright after winning yet a record seventh Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in the PBA.

For her part, Bolden continued to be the face of women’s Philippine football.

The former Loyola Marymount University star was a key player in the Filipinas football team that made history behind its debut in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.

The 5-foot-8 forward then made the team’s maiden appearance even memorable by etching her name in the history books as the first Filipina to score a goal in the World Cup as the underdog Filipinas shocked co-host New Zealand, 1-0, in the group stage.

The winning goal was reminiscent of the same heroic Bolden pulled off during the knockout phase of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2023 by scoring the winning penalty kick against Chinese-Taipei to advance in the semifinals and clinch a ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.