Petecio begins long trek toward Olympic gold

Nesthy Petecio is preparing for the first international tournament of the year at the Strandja Memorial Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, which will start the long road to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The readiness of the Olympic silver medalist in women’s boxing will be tested when they meet February 18 to February 27 after Petecio returned to fighting form in a two-month camp in Baguio City.

“We are looking at six to seven tournaments this year we can go out to qualify in Paris,” said Petecio, whose main goal is to claim the Olympic gold medal in women’s featherweight.

Petecio will also participate in the International Boxing Association World Women’s Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India on March 15 to 31 along with fellow Tokyo Olympic Irishman Magno.

He is scheduled to hold a camp in India with the national team before the competition proper.

Then there’s the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from May 5 to May 17 where the 30-year-old Petecio will try to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women’s lightweight division at the Vietnam edition of the Olympics. last year.

“I’m good, my weight is in range and I’m working on my reflexes, including strength and speed,” Petecio said.

But the tournament that the 2019 world champions have to look forward to is the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8 as the continental sports festival serves as the Olympic qualifier for the region.

‘It Won’t Stop’

After the Asian qualifiers, a pair of world qualifying tournaments are planned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) next year before the Paris Olympics.

“I really want to participate in the Olympics again. I hope I get another chance because I won’t stop until I get that gold,” Petecio said.

The new Olympic qualification process is an alternative arrangement that has been implemented by the IOC in close cooperation with boxing experts after the world Olympic body removed the selection of boxers from the international boxing federation (Aiba).

The IOC’s concerns about Aiba’s administration, along with the assessment process during fights and referees are ongoing. As a result, the IOC Executive Board excluded boxing from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program.

“It’s going to be sad, especially for young women who want to achieve what they’ve done in women’s boxing,” Petecio said.

After the SEA Games in Cambodia, Petecio will once again compete in the Asian Club Asian Boxing Confederation Men’s and Women’s Elite Boxing Championships in July.

They will train in China in August before the Asian Games, see action at the World Combat Games from October 21 to October 30 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and make another camp in Sheffield, England, or Colorado Springs, United States, in preparation for the tournament next year’s Olympic qualifiers. INQ

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