OLYMPIC silver medalist Nesthy Petecio leads the lean, but mean Philippine women’s boxing team fighting for Olympic berths in the coming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Nesthy Petecio leads PH boxing team in Asiad
Petecio will be joined by fellow Olympian Irish Magno and Ira Villegas in the quadrennial meet that also serves as qualifier to the 2024 Paris Olympiad.
The 31-year-old Petecio, winner of a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics, will be competing once again in the 57kg class, while Magno is going up at 54kg after seeing action in the 51kg division in the last Olympiad.
Villegas, quarterfinalist in the last Women’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, see action in the 50kg division.
“Pretty much na sila na yan,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Jarwin Manalo.
“Malayo kasi yung level nila doon sa same weight class nila,” he added.
The Philippines is competing in three of the six weight classes in the women’s side of the Asiad, slated Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.
“Wala na tayong entries doon sa heavier weight class sa babae,” said Manalo.
For Petecio and Co. to qualify to Paris, a podium finish would be enough.
“Sa babae, you just need to win a medal, so kahit bronze medal lang,” said the ABAP official. “Just get into the semifinals and you’ll qualify to the Olympics.”
Since women’s boxing was introduced in the Guangzhou Asiad in 2010, only Annie Albania has medaled for the Philippines, winning a silver in the 51kg class.
In the last Asiad in Jakarta five years ago, both Petecio and Magno failed to advance in the quarterfinals after losing to their respective Round-of-16 opponents.
Petecio went down against 2016 Olympic silver medal winner Yin Junhua of China, 3-2, in the 57kg division, while Magno was shut down by Pang Chol Mi of North Korea, 5-0, in 51kg class.
The three lady boxers along with the men’s training pool left for India Friday for a three-week training camp at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala and in Karnataka, respectively,
Should any of the three Filipinas failed to achieve a podium finish in the Asiad, two World Olympic qualifiers are slated in 2024.
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