Nesthy Petecio will soon begin training with her fellow Filipino Olympians for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
A return ticket to the Olympics didn’t come cheap for Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio.
Turned out, the silver medalist from the Tokyo Games had to overcome a bevy of hurdles to secure a slot in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 set for later this year.
[RELATED STORY: Nesthy Petecio wants to improve one particular aspect of her game for Paris Olympics]
Petecio revealed she was playing hurt when she beat Esra Kahraman Yildiz of Turkey via split decision in the women’s 57kg division semifinals of the 1st World Qualification Tournament for boxing.
There was intense pain in her left wrist that she had to constantly be on pain relievers just to get the job done fight in and fight tout.
“Yung (left) wrist ko (masakit), panay lang ako pain reliever. Mula nung start hanggang ibang laro ko naka pain reliever kasi iba impact ng wrist ko,” she said as she awaited Eumir Marcial’s super middleweight bout against Thoedak Sinam last Saturday, March 23.
She added: “Hindi naman siya fracture. Maga po yung muscle sa loob.”
[RELATED STORY: Paris-bound Eumir Marcial scores sensational KO in Manila pro debut]
Apart from that lingering twinge, the Davao del Sur native also suffered a scratch in her left eye even before the Worlds. She even struggled to open it but soldiered on, knowing the Olympic stint is on the line.
“Sobrang grabe kapit ko kay Lord, yung dasal ko kay Lord na i-open niya (mata ko). Kasi ticket na yun papuntang Paris eh. Sabi ko, ‘Lord, ikaw na bahala, ibibigay ko lahat,” she recalled.
“Sobrang ingat ko first round to second round kasi alam ko pag nakita ng referee na di ko mabuka (mata), pwede nya i-stop laban.”
Then there’s her period.
“Last laban ko sa Worlds, dumagdag pa ng period ko. Alam ng mga kababaihan kung gaano kahirap yan!” she said. “Mindset na lang talaga and paniniwala sa Diyos yung dala dala ko nung time na yun.”
But now that she managed to book a safe passage to the Olympics, the 31-year-old slugger is taking the time to regain her full strength before training camp for Paris begins this week.
After getting silver the last time out, Petecio won't settle for less when competition unfurls in the City of Love.
“Kakayanin. Nasa taraining po yan, paghahandaan ko po yan. Matagal na pangarap ko na po yan, ng ABAP,” she said.