TWO-time Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio suffered a shock loss in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, bowing to Indonesian Hasanah Huswatan in the women’s welterweight competitions on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Petecio lost, 3-2, in the semifinals as she fell short of winning her third gold medal in the biennial meet.
The native of Davao Del Sur consoled herself with the bronze as she competed in her highest weight class since becoming a national team member.
“First time ko itong sa timbang na ito sa 63 and mabigat nga siya,” she acknowledged. “Pero andun pa rin yung lakas ko, yung speed ko.”
While she offered no excuses and respected the decision of the judges, the Olympic silver (Tokyo) and bronze (Paris) medalist believed she won the fight.
“Lagi nating nirerespeto yung decision ng mga judges, pero kita naman sa laro. Kahit ako alam ko lamang ako dun (laban),” said Petecio.
She won the SEA Games gold in 2019 and 2023, respectively, while fighting as a featherweight.
Petecio's loss was the latest setback to hit the Philippine boxing team following the early exits of Olympian Herge Bacyadan and two-time SEA Games gold medalist Ian Clark Bautista.
Bacyadan lost in the semifinals of the women's 70kg class against Baison Manikon of Thailand, 4-0, while Bautista bowed in the quarterfinals of the men's 57kg against Sarawut Sukthet also of Thailand, 5-0.
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