Bacyadan changes mind, eyes SEAG stint

Olympian Hergie Bacyadan will be competing in the boxing competition of the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after initially announcing that she would not see action due to personal reasons.

Bacyadan said she was able to talk with Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary general Marcus Manalo and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) secretary Wharton Chan about the possibility of suiting up in the women’s 70-kilogram division.

She will be joining fellow Olympians Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas as they look to improve their 4-5-1 gold-silver-bronze medal production in the previous biennial meet in Cambodia in 2023.

“After speaking with our ABAP secretary general and POC secretary general, I’ve decided to push through and compete for the SEA Games 2025. I’m truly grateful for the trust and confidence they have in me,” Bacyadan said in a social media post on Thursday morning.

“Starting today, I’m entering the last and toughest stretch of my preparation. I need to lose eight more kilos in the next two weeks to officially qualify.”

“It won’t be easy, but I’m fully committed. Together with the boxing team, we’ll do our absolute best to represent our country in the SEA Games 2025.”

Manalo said they always had Bacyadan on their long list of boxers in this prestigious biennial meet that will run from 9 to 20 December.

“She’s in the long list and she has been in the lineup ever since. So, if she’ll be able to prepare for this last phase of the preparation, she can join,” Manalo said.

Bacyadan will be one of the boxers to watch out for in this year’s SEA Games.