Filipino featherweight Nesthy Petecio did just enough to edge Italy’s Irma Testa and earned a place in the final in the featherweight boxing category at Tokyo 2020 on Saturday and became the first boxer from her country to fight for a gold medal. The Southeast Asian Games gold medallist came through a tough bout against Testa, the reigning European Championship winner, claiming the split decision win on points at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo courtesy of a barnstorming final round. “This means so much to me as not only it is my dream, it is my father’s dream,” an emotional Petecio said. “It’s not for me, it’s for my family, my country and for all the people from the Philippines who have prayed for me. I love you, I love you.” Petecio dug deep in the final two rounds of the bout, after the Italian comfortably took the opening round, to put herself on the brink of becoming only her country’s second gold-medallist after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz scooped weightlifting gold last Monday.
The Filipino adapted her strategy to the taller woman in the second round, focusing her offensive work on Testa’s body and it worked. The Italian was forced to hold on to her fired-up opponent for a reprieve from the body shots.
The third round became winner-takes-all and it was the Santa Cruz-native, a gold medallist at the 2019 World Championships, who dug deepest to claim the win on four of the five judges’ scorecards.
“The coaches gave me a plan and if the first plan did not work then we could change it,” Petecio said. “She was taller and tried to use that advantage, but I didn’t mind. Inside the ring we are just the same. I got better and better as the fight went on as I have that spirit.” Petecio’s opponent in the final will be one of Japan’s Sena Irie and Karriss Artingstall of the UK, who will meet later this evening.
Artingstall is the world No 4, while Irie is ranked 13 in the world. Though she has done enough for silver already, at 29, the world No 2 Petecio, might never have a better chance to land Olympic gold.
Earlier today, Petecio’s teammate Carlo Palaam made up for the disappointment of Irish Magno’s defeat on Friday by booking his place in the quarter-finals with a dominant win over Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi.
