IRREPRESSIBLE Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nesthy Petecio and three other Filipino boxers were scheduled to battle separate foes last night in the 1st World Olympic Qualification Boxing Tournament in Busto Arsistio, Italy, all seeking to move closer to a coveted ticket for the Paris Games.
Having the most difficult path among all the national boxers in punching a ticket to the French capital in July, Petecio chalked up her third straight solid win, outclassing German Nancy Canan Tas 5-0 two days ago to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
She will be up against Dutch teener Maud Van der Toon, also an impressive 5-0 winner over Spain’s Jennifer Fernandez Romeo, needing two more victories in the women’s featherweight class to ensure her return trip to the Olympics after her maiden stint in the Japanese capital in 2021.
The Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur pride, in an interview with the olympic.com last week, revealed that she felt pressured given that at 31, this could be her final chance of making it to the quadrennial sports spectacle again.
“This is maybe my last Olympics and I’m not sure what the future holds. Today’s performance was good so hopefully it will continue until the final round,” Petecio said after her convincing 5-0 win in the second round over Romania’s Maria Claudia Nechita.
“Even at the Tokyo Olympics, I felt the pressure. There is so much pressure again with Paris 2024 so close, and I feel that I’m carrying the whole of the Philippines’ (expectations),” she said.
Aira Villegas, who drew an opening-round bye, likewise kept her Olympic dreams alive with a split 3-2 decision over Canadian national champion McKenzie Wright in their women’s lightweight second-round clash also last March 8.
A bronze medalist in the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games, Villegas will try to advance to the quarterfinals at the expense of Denmark’s Sophie Vinter Rosshaug, who defeated Valeria Abarca Cardenas 5-0, for a spot in the round-of-16.
