PARIS. – Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial kick off their Paris 2024 campaign Tuesday, determined to surpass their achievements in the Tokyo Games.
Petecio, who won a silver medal in 2021, faces India’s Jaismine Lamboria in the round-of-32 of the women’s 57kg class at 5:54 p.m. (11:54 p.m. Philippine time). Lamboria, a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, secured her Olympic spot after a series of impressive victories.
Determined to claim the gold this time, Petecio has vowed to fight relentlessly until she secures victory.
“Walang hinto hangga’t walang ginto,” said Petecio, repeating the battlecry she started after bagging the silver medal in Tokyo.
Marcial, a Tokyo bronze medalist who had a first-round bye, faces Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in the round-of-16 of the light-heavy class at 9:04 p.m. (3:04 a.m. Philippine time).
If he prevails, a potential quarterfinal clash with reigning Olympic champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba looms large. The Cuban, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, turned professional after his Tokyo triumph.
Beyond Lopez, the road to gold is littered with formidable opponents.
Top seed Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan of China, who defeated Marcial in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, and hard-hitting Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak, who narrowly edged out the Filipino in Tokyo, pose significant threats.
“Abangan na lang nila,” Marcial said when asked what kind of preparation he has done for the Olympics when spotted by Filipino sportswriters after Aira Villegas’ 5-0 triumph early Monday morning against Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki.
