Nesthy Petecio will no longer let her chance to win a medal in the Tokyo Olympics slip away.
The 29-year-old Petecio vowed to work hard and train even harder to make this happen.
“Sabi ko sa coaches ko, si Lord na ang bahala kung ibibigay niya sa akin ito. Hindi ko na kasi pakakawalan ito,” said Petecio.
Petecio talked about her Olympic dreams recently on “Power and Play” while in Thailand, preparing for the Olympics with other members of the national boxing team.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee-Boxing Task Force confirmed to the Philippine Olympic Committee that Petecio and Carlo Paalam have gained slots through their world rankings.
Petecio and Paalam joined fellow boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, who booked tickets through the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan in March, 2020.
Their qualification, together with the formal entry of powerlifter Hidilyn Diaz to the Olympic Games on Sunday night, makes it a total of seven Filipinos to the quadrennial meet. The two others are pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Now in Thailand, Petecio and Paalam are doing their workouts with the help of their coaches Nolito Velasco, Reynaldo Galido and Don Abnett.
The 5’2” Petecio, who fights in the women’s 57 kgs, said her qualification through her rankings was a wakeup call for her do even better.
“Nu’ng sinabi ni coach na qualify ako sa rankings, nahimasmasan ako,” stated Petecio.
Both Petecio and Paalam qualified by virtue of their highest standing in their respective weight categories.
The POC is still awaiting for confirmation of more entries, with women’s golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan in the reserve list.
Saso has risen in the Olympic golf rankings at no. 22, while Pangdanganan is listed at no. 43.