Petecio shakes head over loss

Nesthy Petecio still couldn’t believe why she was ousted by a young Polish in the semifinals of the women’s 57-kilogram event of the Paris Olympics early Thursday at the Roland Garros Stadium in the French capital.

Petecio, who is already an Olympic veteran, expressed shocked and disappointment over her loss to 20-year-old Julia Szeremeta in a match that could have sent her closer to the country’s first Olympic gold medal in boxing.

Competing in the Summer Games for the first time ever, Szeremeta outworked and outwit Petecio until hammering a 4-1 win that sent her to the gold medal match against Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei on Sunday.

Petecio, for her part, was handed the consolation bronze, which is much lower than the silver medal that she achieved in the Tokyo Games three years ago.

“I don’t understand how but that’s what the judges saw so there’s nothing we can do about it. Still she (Szeremeta) had no clear punches in the third round,” Petecio said.

“My body and hook shots were on point. The referee always cautioned me, I don’t know why but maybe I don’t know what I see on their side so that’s what they are, I respect that.”

Still, the 32-year-old Petecio emerged as the first Filipino boxer to win two Olympic medals. Her future, however, remains blurry as she will be 36 by the time the Los Angeles Olympics fire off in 2028.

The Davao del Sur native is thankful for the opportunity to represent the country in the biggest multi-sport conclave in the world.

“I am so proud that until now I am fighting for the country, the family, the dream, and my dream of a gold medal,” Petecio said.

“We weren’t able to get the win but I am thankful to the Lord because I was able to perform well.”