BREAKING NEWS!

Petecio joins Calambubble January 15 as training resumes for Olympic hopefuls

UB TOURISM PRIDE. Nesthy Petecio was feted by the University of Baguio School of International Tourism and Hotel Management after winning the gold in the AIBA in October 2019. Here the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist is presented with a cake and a tarpaulin showing here faces inside the ring and while in school as appreciation of her success inside the ring. Pigeon Lobien

World boxing champion Nesthy Petecio will be joining fellow Olympics hopefuls when trainings resume January 15.

The University of Baguio Tourism student Petecio told the RNG Friday, January 9, that she is still in Digos City and will be in Calamba, Laguna to join some 65 athletes, coaches and medical staff for the three months training.

Petecio, who won the [Amateur] Internal Boxing Association gold in October 2019 and the Southeast Asian Games crown in December that year, hopes to snag a slot in the Tokyo Olympics which is postponed to July this year due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“I am still hoping to get a slot,” she said in the vernacular in the hope of fellow UB student Irish Magno, the first Filipina boxer to qualify for the Olympics, and Eumir Marcial.

“Dito pa ako si Digos, pero papuntang Calamba (I am still in Digos, but then slated to go to Calamba,” said Petecio who will be at the Inspire Sports Academy or the Calambubble.

Petecio could still make it to the Tokyo Olympics if she makes good in the Paris qualifier, the last qualifier slated for the Olympics, this June.

“Wala pa namang bago na inupdate sa akin galing sa coaches, sa Paris pa din alam ko at sa May or June ata (I have not been given any update by my coaches, what I know is it [qualifier] will still be in Paris sometime in May or June),” she added.

“I know Nesthy could do it and join Irish and Eumir,” said former national coach Boy Catolico of Petecio.

Petecio left Baguio for Davao City in June last year after failing to get past archrival Irie Sena of Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Asia and Oceana Boxing Qualification Tournament in the Jordan capital in March that year.

Petecio flew to Baguio after her Jordan sojourn but was unable to train due to the strict health protocol after the city was declared under enhanced community quarantine.

“Pati mga kapitbahay namin ayaw kaming palabasin upang magensayo (Our neighbors would not allow us to leave our house to train),” that prompted her to fly home to Davao to be under the wings of dad Teodoro, a former national boxer, and brother Norlan, who is also with the national team.

Petecio’s morale was boosted this week further after the city council approved that she and fellow boxers Magno and Carlo Paalam, also an Olympic hopeful were recognized as city athletes and thus qualified to receive cash incentive for winning athletes under the city sports incentives ordinance.

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