By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

In a surprising outcome, two youthful athletes from different sports events were chosen as the top male and female athletes of 2006 by the Palau National Olympic Committee during last night’s 6th Annual Sports Award Banquet.
Athletics’ Christopher Kenty was chosen as the Male Athlete of the Year while swimmer Amber ‘Siko’ Yobech was the Female Athlete of the Year.
Five other awards were given to individuals and a company.
Tino Faatuuala was chosen as the Coach of the Year for leading Team Palau in canoe Micronesian Games.
Cesca-Morei Misech of swimming was named as Volunteer of the Year while Edson Chiokai was Technical Official of the Year.
Chiokai, who also earned two other awards from the numerous recognitions given, had received Oceania Badge level 2 at the Micronesian Games and has been nominated to attend the FIBA international school of referees in Samoa during the 2007 Pacific Games to be held in August-September.
Eric Ksau Whipps was Sponsor of the Year while Shell Palau Inc. was named Corporate Sponsor of the Year.
Awards in each sports federation were also given including that of veteran internationalist Elgin Elwais, who was named as male athlete for wrestling.
Interestingly, Elwais, who brought home several medals including gold for Palau last year and Micronesia’s fastest woman Ngerak Florencio were not among the major awardees.
Another interesting award given was that of the Male Athlete for baseball which went to Eric Kyota.
Kyota hit the homerun that gave Koror a back-to-back title in the Palau Major League but the season’s Most Valuable Player awardee in 2006 was Sureor Ngirailemesang.
A special award was also given to the members of the canoe team that swept all the gold medals at stake in the Micronesian Games.
The list of the other awards that were given was unavailable as of presstime last night.