Journalist Pablo Aguabilla leaves Costa Rica high at the Emmy Awards in the United States

The Sports Emmy Awards are the awards for the best sports journalism coverage in the United States, and in the 2023 edition, Costa Rican Pablo Aguabella put the country at the forefront by being among the professionals awarded by the National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences.

Upon seeing Aguabella elegantly displaying the statuette on social media, we contacted him to find out how much recognition this holds for very few UNI journalists, and he kindly explained to us how he won it and labeled it a dream come true. . .

He added: “The Emmy Award is the best television award in the United States. A few years ago, it was awarded in both languages: Spanish and English. In this case, the award went for coverage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in Spanish.

“It’s an award that was won by doing the show called Outstanding Studio Show in Spanish and all the talent involved in the production, so they’re Emmy winners, it’s an award for the production, not the individuals.

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“In my case, because of my work as a reporter and in front of the camera, I received notification that I could also receive the award and the title,” Aguabella said in a phone call.

The choice was not easy, because its competitors were none other than SportsCenter from ESPN Deportes and Sunday Night Football from Telemundo, and in other categories it shared programs from well-known networks such as Fox Deportes and Televisa Univisión Deportes Network, known as TUDN.

Among the tasks assigned to Aguabella during the winning coverage was following various teams, such as Costa Rica, and working as a journalist on the field at various World Cup matches.

First of many?

Although the awards were announced in May this year, Pablo only received the statuette at his home this week, a first he will never forget.

“Yes (laughs), it’s the first time, it’s not that easy, and also as part of the production I’ve been involved in two previous nominations, but this is the first time I’ve had that, I don’t think it will be something that will be repeated very soon as well,” he added. “We are always in coverage with them, there is always a possibility, because the competition is high.”

Pablo realized this when he saw the broadcast online and the Academy implementing a change for the benefit of everyone. Previously, only a few members of the production received the statuette, but starting this year the entire team receives it.

As expected, once the news spread, congratulations from family, friends and colleagues poured in on social media.

Long path

Many may remember him when reading his name for the work he did in various Costa Rican media, such as Radio Monumental, Repretel, Sinart, and also collaborated for two years with Grupo Nación.

In the case of Telemundo, its adventure began in 2000, and since 2015 it has been a vital piece of the FIFA events it covers for the country of the Stars and Stripes.

“Since then, I have attended almost all important football events. I participated in the U-17 and U-20 World Cups in 2015, then I participated in the 2017 Confederations Cup, the 2018 Russian World Cup and the Club World Cup. The 2019 Copa America and Qatar 2022.”

There he took the opportunity to thank photographer Guillermo Rojas for being an essential part of this tribute, and for being his right-hand man in his World Cup adventures.

To enjoy with passion

Finally, Pablo took a few minutes to advise young people who study sports journalism or who have already taken their first steps in the profession, that they must have something very clear, these challenges require a lot of sacrifices and in Costa Rica there is a good human being material to highlight outside the country.

“I can say that for anyone who wants to get into this, who understands firstly that it is a passion, and secondly that passion is accompanied by a lot of work, effort and preparation, to improve in different areas, there is a lot of satisfaction. In being able to be at those events of a large scale.

That’s why you should never give up, because time always rewards, but let Pablo say that, who got his reward after many years of struggle.