A rare milestone in Philippine sports will be celebrated as two Filipino standouts from different disciplines share the country’s highest individual sporting honor. Gymnast Carlos “Caloy” Yulo and tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala are set to be recognized as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the San Miguel Corporation–Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night, to be held at the Diamond Hotel Manila.
The distinction marks the first time in 22 years that the PSA has named co-Athletes of the Year, since Manny Pacquiao and Jennifer Rosales achieved the feat in 2004.
A Rare Joint Honor for Two Rising Icons
The joint recognition reflects Yulo’s sustained dominance following his historic double-gold performance at the Paris Olympics and Eala’s breakthrough campaign on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour last year. For Yulo, this will be his second PSA Athlete of the Year citation after winning the award solo last year. For Eala, it will be her first time to receive the top individual honor from the country’s oldest sports media organization.
Yulo continued to pile up medals after Paris, showing no signs of slowing down. He captured his fourth straight gold medal in the floor exercise at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in South Korea, while also taking bronze medals in the parallel bars, vault, and individual all-around events.
The 4-foot-11 gymnast from Leveriza, Manila later returned to the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Indonesia, where he secured gold in vault and added a bronze in the floor exercise during the 53rd edition of the meet.
Breakthrough Year For Philippine Tennis
Eala, meanwhile, launched her WTA Tour breakout in a historic run at the Miami Open, reaching the semifinals as a wild card entry. Ranked No. 140 at the time, she cracked the top 100 by defeating former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, Australian Open titlist and No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round, and five-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Although her Cinderella run ended in the semifinals against Jessica Pegula, Eala had already made a global statement.
The 20-year-old went on to become the first Filipino in the Open era to play in the Wimbledon singles main draw, captured her first WTA singles title at the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico, and achieved another milestone by becoming the first from the Philippines in the Open era to win a match at the U.S. Open after beating 14th seed Clara Tauson. She closed her season with a then career-best No. 50 ranking and added a gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, ending a 26-year Philippine gold drought in women’s singles tennis.
Yulo and Eala’s historic double serves as more than a sports headline; it reinforces the belief that world-class excellence is possible regardless of background, inspiring young people across the country to dream bigger, stay disciplined, and see sports as a powerful pathway for national pride and personal transformation.
