National Sports Award Ceremony

This Friday, the National Sports Prize (PND) 2017 and the National Sports Merit Prize (PNMD) will be awarded at the Official Residence of Los Pinos.

These awards are the highest accolade given by the Mexican government to individuals who have contributed to the country, either inside or outside a sports competition.

This edition is the second one that has been delayed, as it is usually presented in the last month of the year. In this case, it corresponds to 2017.

The winners in the various categories had already been announced beforehand. In the professional athlete category, the award went to the forward of the West Ham United and top scorer of the Mexican national team, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.

In the non-professional category, two athletes were awarded: fencer Natalia Botello and high diver Adriana Jimenez.

"I am super grateful because they noticed me, grateful for this great prize that means a lot to me, and very honored because I never thought I would come this far," said Jimenez to La Aficion after learning of her triumph.

In the Paralympic sports category, two athletes were also awarded, who triumphed in athletics and judo last year. They are Diana Laura Coraza and Maria Isabel Huitron, respectively.

Two coaches were also recognized, starting with Adriana Loftus from the synchronized swimming team and Ivan Rodriguez Luna, who coaches the para-athletes' team.

The awarded judge on this occasion was Sergio Rocha Chavez.

In the Sports Merit category, there were three individuals with outstanding performance and trajectory: Daniel Aceves Villagran (wrestling), former representative of Mexican professional wrestling Rodolfo Guzman 'El Santo', and Felipe Munoz Kampas.

Engineer Carlos Slim Helu will also be honored with a distinction for his promotion of sports practice.

The winners will receive a gold medal, a diploma, and a prize of 763,921 pesos, with the exception of professional athletes or those who have previously won it.