FROM one fighter to another, Hidilyn Diaz reminds Nesthy Petecio to keep eyes on the prize.
On Saturday afternoon, Petecio rallied from a round down to beat the towering Irma Testa of Italy, winning via split decision, 4-1, to get a shot at the gold medal in the featherweight boxing finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As congratulatory wishes poured in for the boxing champ, a video message from Diaz stood out.
"Good work, Nesthy. Proud na proud kami sayo, ang galing mo!" the 30-year-old weightlifting gold medalist said, giggling out of excitement.
Hidilyn Diaz is in quarantine in the country
Diaz is already in quarantine after landing back in the Philippines earlier this week.
"We'll keep praying for you. Laban lang, wag kang sumuko. Team Pilipinas, go for gold! Kaya mo yan," she continued in the video she reposted from her manager Noel Ferrer on her Instagram story.
Petecio is now assured of at least a silver medal. She will be facing either home bet Sena Irie or Great Britain's Karrisss Artingstall.
The message, should Nesthy see it, will surely be a big boost to the boxer, who admitted to SPIN.ph that Diaz's gold win was a true inspiration.
"Sobrang na-inspire po ako kay Hidilyn. Hinintay ko po talaga na matapos ‘yung laban n’ya. Sobrang saya po namin, sobrang proud kami kay Hidilyn. Jump high po!" she said in an interview last July 28.
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