The major awards given annually by the Sports Journalists Circle (CPD, for its acronym in Spanish) to the best conventional and Paralympic athletes of the season were received this time by the beach volleyball duo, Marco and Esteban Grimalt, and by the para swimmer, Vicente Almonacid, who won “Cóndor de Oro” at the ceremony held this Wednesday at Teatro CorpArtes in Las Condes.
The event was attended by the Minister of Sports, Alexandra Benado; the Deputy Secretary, Antonia Illanes; the national director of IND, Israel Castro; The president of Comité Olímpico de Chile, Miguel Ángel Mujica; the head of Comité Paralímpico, Sebastián Villavicencio; the executive director of Santiago 2023 Corporation, Gianna Cunazza; and the president of CPD, Danilo Díaz.
The Grimalt cousins ended a season that registered important achievements: gold at the South American Games Asunción 2022, eight in the world ranking, and winners of the Beach Pro Tour tournament in Gstaad (Switzerland) the most important national title in the history of this sport.
“We have received this award in our discipline for a long time, but we had not even thought about winning Best of the Bests, we hadn’t assimilated much the idea of hearing our names, so it was a surprise, but it reflects the work we have done as well as the technical team we have behind us,” said Esteban Grimalt.
Beach volleyball cousins Esteban and Marco Grimalt with para swimmer Vicente Almonacid were the stars of the Sports Journalists Circle ceremony (photo: Sergio Maureira/Santiago 2023).
Meanwhile, para swimmer Vicente Almonacid, winner of the 100-meter breaststroke in this year's World Championship in Madeira, Portugal, projected his vision for the Parapan American Games Santiago 2023. “I’m a very competitive person, I want to continue growing as an athlete. I won a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal in the last Games in Lima, and I would like to consolidate that and maybe get some more medals in other events,” he affirmed.
The Sports Journalists Circle awards are the most traditional awards in Chilean physical activity, given since 1951 to conventional athletes and since 2012 the Paralympic category was incorporated. In addition, the CPD awards the Premio Nacional de Periodismo Deportivo, which this time went to Juan Esteban Lastra, the professional with a long career path.
WINNERS OF CÓNDOR DE ORO - THE BESTS OF THE BESTS
1951: Gustavo Ehlers, athletics.
1952: Luis Ayala, tennis.
1953: Hilda Ramos, basketball.
1954-1959: it was not awarded.
1960: Eliana Gaete, athletics.
1961: Gilberto Navarro, skeet.
1962: Irene Velásquez, basketball.
1963: Américo Simonetti, equestrian.
1964: Ricardo Vidal, athletics.
1965: Godfrey Stevens, boxing.
1966: Jorge Jottar, skeet.
1967: Iván Moreno, athletics.
1968: Luis Salvadores Salvi, basketball.
1969: Luis Salvadores Salvi, basketball.
1970: Pradelia Delgado, athletics.
1971: Raúl Choque, underwater fishing.
1972: Miriam Yutronic, athletics; and Héctor Bravo, fencing.
1973: Alejandro Urrutia, cycling.
1974: Hernán Haddad, athletics.
1975: Alejandra Ramos, athletics.
1976: Alejandra Ramos, athletics.
1977: Patricio Cornejo, tennis.
1978: Eliseo Salazar, motor sport.
1979: Fernando Vera, cycling.
1980: Daniel Walker, equestrian.
1981: Elías Figueroa, football.
1982: Jaime Fillol, tennis.
1983: Emilio Ulloa, athletics; and Alejandro Flores, water sports.
1984: Gert Weil, athletics.
1985: Omar Aguilar, athletics.
1986: Hans Gildemeister, tennis.
1987: Alonso de Iruarrizaga, skeet.
1988: Alonso de Iruarrizaga, skeet.
1989: Cristián Bustos, triathlon.
1990: Carmen Gloria Bezanilla, athletics.
1991: Francisco Fuentes, roller hockey.
1992: Iván Zamorano, football.
1993: Marcelo Ríos, tennis.
1994: Sebastián Keitel, athletics.
1995: Marcela Cáceres, roller speed skating.
1996: Sebastián Rozental, football.
1997: Marcelo Salas, football.
1998: Marcelo Ríos, tennis.
1999: Érika Olivera, athletics.
2000: Carlo de Gavardo, motorcycling.
2001: Nicole Perrot, golf.
2002: Miguel Cerda y Christian Yantani, rowing.
2003: Nicolás Massú, tennis.
2004: Nicolás Massú y Fernando González, tennis.
2005: Alberto González, vela; y Felipe Piña, gymnastics.
2006: Matías Fernández, football.
2007: Fernando González, tennis.
2008: Fernando González, tennis.
2009: Kristel Köbrich, swimming.
2010: Tomás González, gymnastics.
2011: Denisse von Lamoen, archery.
2012 – Conventional: Tomás González, gymnastics.
2012 – Paralympic: Cristián Valenzuela, athletics.
2013: Felipe Miranda, water skiing.
2014 – Conventional: María José Moya, skating.
2014 – Paralympic: Juan Carlos Garrido, powerlifting.
2015: Claudio Bravo, football.
2016 – Conventional: Bárbara Riveros, triathlon.]
2016 – Paralympic: Jorge Carinao, powerlifting.
2017 – Conventional: Arley Méndez, weightlifting.
2017 – Paralympic: Amanda Cerna, athletics.
2018 – Conventional: Joaquín Niemann, golf.
2018 – Paralympic: Alberto Abarza, swimming.
2019 – Conventional: Joaquín Niemann, golf; and Christiane Endler, football.
2019 – Paralympic: Francisca Mardones, athletics.
2020: not awarded due to the pandemic.
2021 – Conventional: Guillermo Pereira, golf.
2021 – Paralympic: Alberto Abarza, swimming.
2022 - Conventional: Esteban and Marco Grimalt, beach volleyball
2022 - Paralympic: Vicente Almonacid, swimming
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