On the road to Tokyo, this is how Nesthy Petecio knocked out depression

Overwhelming stress and anxiety almost led the boxer to quit
Aug 10, 2021

ON HER Olympic debut, Nesthy Petecio undeniably made history for the Philippines.

After winning silver in the women’s featherweight division, the Davaoena stamped her mark as the first-ever Filipino female boxer to win a medal in the prestigious Summer Games.

Petecio's win delivered the country's second medal after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's gold. In total, the Philippines brought home four medals — the country's best finish in almost a century, overwriting the record of the three-bronze medal haul in 1932 Los Angeles.

But alongside her relentless hustle in training and physical preparation coming into the quadrennial meet, Petecio also had to face a mental battle with depression.

It got to the point when she couldn't even stand to put on her gloves.

“Makikita ko ‘yung gloves ko, ayaw ko hawakan. Nakikita ko ‘yung punching bag, ‘yung ring, nase-stress ako,” bared Petecio in Episode 4 of the sports podcast Go Hard Girls. “Na-depress po talaga ako that time.”

It had its roots in an incident in 2018, after a controversial split-decision loss to China’s Yin Jun Hua in the Asian Games in Indonesia. In several articles, Petecio's loss was described as “highway robbery.”

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If that incident rocked the boxing world, imagine its toll on her.

“Nagtampo ako kay Lord, hindi binigay sa akin. Lahat ng sakripisyo, nagkuwestiyon talaga ako. Ano pa bang paghihirap ‘yung gusto mong pagdaanan ko?” she continued.

How Nesthy Petecio overcame depression

It was a dreadful seven months for Petecio. She came very close to quitting the sport that she'd first taken up when she was just a child.

“Sabi ko, ‘wag nang asahan na may performance na maganda, sobrang down ako. Utak ko lutang, parang ayaw ko na sa boxing,” she said.

But with the help of national boxing team’s sports psychologist, Marcus Jarwin Manalo — who has been practicing mindfulness meditation techniques to the fighters of the Philippine boxing team — the 29-year-old slowly got back into the rhythm.

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    “Sobrang nakatulong si coach Marcus. ‘Pag kinakausap niya kami, sarap pakinggan, sobrang mahinahon. Pinapa-remind niya sa amin kung bakit, para saan ito,” Nesthy said.

    After she triumphed over her mental battle, Petecio managed to win two gold medals from two of the biggest boxing stages before qualifying for the Olympics.

    She conquered the AIBA World Boxing Championships in October 2019, becoming the second Filipina to become a world champion after Josie Gabuco. Then, she aced the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

    She hasn't looked back since.

    “Buo yung loob ko. Ramdam ko na kasama ko si God. Kung ano man mangyari, alam kong andyan sya. Sabi ko, hindi na ako bibitaw,” Petecio said.

    Listen to full episode of Go Hard Girls podcast here.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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