Petecio vows to give all in Asiad for last crack at Olympic gold

MANILA, Philippines – Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio is going all out in the Asian Games in an effort to build momentum for a last hurrah in the Paris Olympics next year. 

The 2022 Hangzhou Asiad is also an Olympic qualifying tournament for boxing. 

The 31-year-old Petecio acknowledged her age as she said she is going for the Olympic seat.

“This is very, very important for me because I am thinking that this might be my last shot,” Petecio told reporters.

“I am not getting any younger. I am getting old. I already feel age creeping up on me,” she added.

Despite this, she said she is dedicating her Asiad performance to her family, the country, her partner and herself.

Petecio won the silver medal in the women’s featherweight event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino said he believes that the Philippines’ boxers would bring a gold medal haul for the country, especially since the Asiad is a possible ticket to the Olympics. 

“This is a qualifying tournament, so of course, they will go hard,” Tolentino said in Filipino.

The POC president said that aside from the boxers, there are other athletes who are all capable of bringing home the gold for the Philippines.

He earlier said that they are targeting at least four gold medals for the Asiad.