Colombia honours Olympian Pajon, soccer star Falcao

Bogota, Dec 12 (IANS): Colombia honoured its top athletes, including Olympic gold medal winner Mariana Pajon and soccer star Radamel Falcao Garcia.

Pajon, winner of the BMX cycling competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games, received Colombia’s Best Athlete Award for 2012, while Falcao was named 2012′s Person of the Year, reports Xinhua.

Pajon, 21, brought home from London only the second Olympic gold medal in the history of Colombian sports.

“I am really grateful to Colombia for this award, for voting for me. This award should be, in principle, for the 104 athletes who went to London 2012,” said Pajon.

The second best athlete of the year went to Olympian Catherine Ibarguen, who won silver in the triple jump, as well as to Paralympic medal winners Elkin Serna (silver medal in marathon) and swimmer Moises Fuentes (silver medal in the 100-meter breast stroke).

Third place went to Olympic Games medallists Yuri Alvear (bronze in judo, 70-kg category), wrestler Jackeline Renteria (bronze in 55-kg category), Oscar Munoz (bronze in taekwondo, 58-kg category), and BMX cyclist Carlos Mario Oquendo (bronze medal).

Soccer player Falcao was named Person of the Year at the same ceremony, though he couldn’t be there due to his participation in the Spanish first division league.

During the ceremony, participants observed a minute of silence in tribute to Colombian goalkeeper Miguel Calero, who died from thrombosis last week in Mexico.