Filipina Boxer Nesthy Petecio Wins Bronze at Paris Olympics 2024
Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio is taking home the Philippines' fourth Olympic win. The 32-year-old boxer from Davao City, clinched a bronze medal in the women's 57-kilogram category at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making her the first Filipino boxer to win medals in two consecutive Olympic Games. Petecio's bronze follows her silver medal performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Petecio went through four rounds of boxing at the Paris Olympics 2024: a win against India's Jaismine in the Round of 32; a victory over France's Amina Zidani in the Round of 16; and a win against China's Zichun Xu in the quarterfinal round.
The Filipina boxer is entitled to receive P2 million from the Philippine government after her bronze win at the Summer Olympic Games as written in the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
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Petecio versus Szeremeta at the Paris Olympics 2024
In the semifinals, Petecio faced Poland’s Julia Szeremeta, a 20-year-old upstart who had earned her spot by defeating Puerto Rico’s Ashleyann Lozada Motta. The Filipina boxer scored a total of 29-28-28-28-28 from the five judges, giving her a 1:4 loss. Although Petecio did not advance to the gold medal match, her performance secured her a well-deserved bronze.
Szeremeta will be facing off with Taipei's Yu-Ting Lin in the final round on August 11, 3:30 a.m. (Manila time).
The Journey of a Trailblazing Filipina Boxer
Petecio was born in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur on April 11, 1992. She began her boxing career under the tutelage of her father and a farmer, Teodoro, who had dreams of becoming a boxer himself. From the age of seven, Petecio trained rigorously, initially as a means of self-defense and later as a financial lifeline for her family. Competing in inter-barangay boxing matches, she and her siblings fought not just for glory but for the prize money that would put food on their table.
Her breakthrough came at the tender age of 11 when she won a match against a male boxer during the Araw ng Davao celebrations. This victory caught the attention of national selectors and marked the beginning of her journey with the Philippines national boxing team.
Wearing the Philippine flag on her jersey, Petecio accumulated numerous accolades.
To date, Petecio has the following medal count:
- Olympic Games - 1 Silver
- World Championships - 1 Gold, 1 Silver
- Asian Championships - 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
- Southeast Asian Games - 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
Petecio competed in the women's featherweight event at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Her first fight was a 5:0 victory against Marcelat Sakobi Matshu of the Democratic Republic of Congo; then, with a 3:2 score, defeated Taipei's Lin Yu-tin (now a finalist at Paris Olympics 2024); then, against Columbia's Yeni Arias with a 5:0 victory; then, defeated Italy's Irma Testa with a 4:1 in the semifinals. Her last round was against Japan's Sena Irie, which she lost, but it also meant taking home a silver medal, the first Olympic boxing medal won by a Filipino boxer in 25 years.
The Filipina boxer, who's also an out lesbian, offered her Tokyo Olympics 2020 win to the LGBTQ community in a post-interview. "I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ community. Sulong, laban!," she said that year.
So far, the Philippine team has secured four medals at the Paris Olympics 2024: two gold medals from gymnast Carlos Yulo, one bronze from boxer Aira Villegas, and a bronze from Petecio.
