By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negrense tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala and Olympic champion Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo have emerged as the leading contenders for the 2025 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Athlete of the Year award.
Both athletes delivered landmark performances over the past year, setting new milestones in their respective sports and strengthening their cases for the top individual honor to be presented at the PSA Awards Night at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on February 2.
The Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native Eala enjoyed a breakthrough year on the international tennis circuit.
The 20-year-old made history as the first Filipina to crack the WTA Top 50, highlighted by her semifinal run at the Miami Open in March.
She also claimed her first WTA 125 title in Mexico and capped her 2025 campaign by delivering a historic result for Philippine tennis, winning the country’s first women’s singles gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in 26 years.
Yulo continued to build on his historic run following his double gold medal haul at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 25-year-old gymnast reaffirmed his status among the world’s elite by winning gold in the vault at the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta.
He also captured a bronze medal in the floor exercise, his signature event.
The Filipino gymnast further asserted his dominance at the continental level by securing the floor exercise gold at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jecheon, South Korea, where he also added three bronze medals.
Their achievements placed Yulo and Eala at the forefront of Philippine sports in 2025 and made them the prime candidates for the Athlete of the Year award, the highest honor handed out annually by the country’s oldest media organization.
Also nominated for the prestigious award are golfer Miguel Tabuena, world champion pool player Chezka Centeno, and swimmer Kayla Sanchez.
Aside from Athlete of the Year, the PSA will also present the President’s Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Executive of the Year, and National Sports Association of the Year, along with several major and special citations during its annual awards gala./ASC, WDJ