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Nesty Petecio of the Philippines will compete in the women's boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, hoping to win the gold medal she missed out on in Tokyo. – Marlo Cueto/Art
For most athletes, the journey to the world's biggest sporting event can be stressful and pressure-filled.
Nesty Petecio is no ordinary athlete.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, Filipino female boxers have revealed they will be taking an unconventional approach to the quadrennial tournament.
“Relax,” Petecio said at ease during a special dinner event for the Paris-bound Filipino players.
Read: Nesty Petecio surprised by sparring request ahead of Paris Olympics
“I'm just staying calm. There is pressure but I'm used to it so right now I'm just trying to calm myself down. I'm not thinking about the fight because it's so close. If I keep thinking about it it will make it even harder,” the featherweight sensation added with a laugh.
In retrospect, it's not surprising that Petecio took it easy: after all, she'd been here before.
It wasn't that long ago, three years ago, that Petecio became the center of attention in Tokyo, Japan.
A little improvement
The 32-year-old boxer had to settle for a silver medal at the pandemic-postponed Summer Olympics, where Hidilyn Diaz Naranjo ended her country's gold medal hopes.
There is reason to hope that Petecio can improve on his previous performance and bring his country a second Olympic gold medal.
Diaz-Naranjo won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earning the title of Philippine sports' Golden Girl at the Olympics. Petecio knows that small improvements are all it takes to achieve her goals, so for the most part, she has stuck to a blueprint that has mostly worked.
Read: Nesty Petecio wins ticket to Paris and the struggle continues
“My training [for the Paris Olympics] and [for the Olympics in] “Tokyo is pretty much the same. The only difference is that this is no longer a pandemic,” Petecio explained.
“It's not that easy anymore because everyone is competing again and doing multi-training, including matches for other countries. It's not that easy at this Olympics.”Petecio's shining moment in Tokyo was avoided by local bet Irie Sena.
But Irie soon announced her retirement from boxing, leaving the women's featherweight crown vacant to the next Queen of the Ring. But she was widely regarded as a local champion, rallied by her compatriots in Tokyo. And there was a tougher opponent waiting in Paris, and Petecio was well aware of it.
We would like to introduce Nesty Petecio, who will be competing in the women's 57kg boxing event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“There is pressure. There is always pressure,” says the Davao native, who doesn't worry about things she can't control.
“For me, I will focus on whatever I can do. But it's good that people think boxing is one of the sports that brings glory to us (the Philippines). Boxing is my sport and I'm always noticed and appreciated, so I feel proud.”
With that mindset, Petecio is ready to return to the once-every-four-years tournament and make new history.
“After everything I went through in Tokyo, I learned to listen to myself and my body more. If the pressure comes on again, I'll be able to handle it better now.” INQ
