Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Nesthy Petecio said she is ready to return to training this month and prepare for the last qualifying tournament for boxing for the Tokyo Olympics this year.
Petecio, who competes in the featherweight category, said Saturday that she is scheduled to return January 10 in Manila from Digos City where she is staying at the moment.
“Lipad na ako pabalik ng Manila, nagre-ready na din ako ng mga papers ko,” said Petecio during his guesting on the Saturday sports show The Chasedown on One PH over Cignal TV.
“Nakaka-excite na finally yung mga taba ko na naipon ng isang taon mababawasan na. Focus on losing weights, ilang months din ako hindi nakapag-training (because of the lockdown).”
The 28-year-old boxer from Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur confessed that she gained weight last year after not being able to train properly due to the COVD-19 outbreak that started in March.
That same month, Petecio lost to Japanese Sena Irie in the quarterfinal round of the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Amman, Jordan.
It was a heartbreaking setback considering she defeated Irie in the quarterfinal of the AIBA World Championships in Russia in 2019 where she won the gold medal by beating Liudmila Vorontsova of Russia in the final.
The last Tokyo Olympic qualifier for boxing is in May in Paris, originally set May 2020 but was moved to this year after organizers decided to postpone it because of the health crisis.
Petecio said the Holiday Season didn’t help with her diet.
“Nakita nila changes (coaches, training and amateur boxing officials) sa paglaki ko. Lechon ang mahirap iwasan, spaghetti, mga kakanin… kahit anong iwas ko ang hirap talaga,” said Petecio in jest.
“Parang kalaban din yan (in boxing), kapag nasa harapan na kailangan banatan.”
Turning serious, Petecio said that she would do all the necessary things to get in shape and ready for the qualifiers in Paris and get that spot for the Tokyo Olympics, something she wants to accomplish.
“Gusto ko makuha yung slot, gusto ko makapasok (in the Tokyo Olympics). Kung kailangan na mag-triple ako sa training gagawin ko para makuha ko yung kundisyon ko,” she said.
So far, two members of the national boxing team have claimed tickets in the Olympics, Eumir Marcial in the men’s middleweight category and Irish Magno in the women’s flyweight division.