By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Nesthy Petecio’s Olympic redemption will be on full display after booking a spot in this year’s Paris edition following a convincing campaign in the World Qualification Tournament on March 12, 2024, in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
The Filipina boxing sensation formally clinched a Paris Olympics seat after pulling off a 4-1 decision victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey to secure a top 2 finish in the women’s 57-kg category.
According to the World Qualification Tournament rules, by securing a top 2 final placing in boxing, both of the boxers who are bound for the championship match will automatically earn a berth to Paris.
Petecio, who nabbed the silver medal during the previous Tokyo Olympic edition, will have a chance to upgrade a place higher and bag the gold in Paris.
The Filipina star quickly showed her ring mastery in the first two rounds after dictating the pace and the tempo of the fight.
With her slick jabs and fluid in-and-out ring movement, Petecio was too much to handle for the Turkish representative and was looking comfortable heading into the third round.
Just when Petecio thought that a lopsided victory was bound for her, Kahraman turned on the jets in desperation and hit her with several combinations.
That convincing round urged the judges to give Kahraman the third but due to Petecio’s dominance in the first two frames, the Filipina ran away with the victory.
Before facing the Turkish star, Petecio took care of her first four opponents with either a unanimous decision victory or stoppage.
Aside from Petecio, Aira Villegas, the PHL’s representative in the women’s 50-kg category, also formalized her Paris Olympics entry after prevailing over Zlatislava Chukanova of Bulgaria.
