MANILA, Philippines – After countless heartbreaks, Nesthy Petecio gained renewed confidence from her world championship conquest and now hopes to focus on her Olympic dream for her family. 

“Sobrang importante po [ang world championship gold] kasi pangarap ko po ‘yung Olympics. Pangarap po ng papa ko iyon na hindi natupad so ako ‘yung tutupad para sa kanya,” said Petecio when she arrived from Russia on Tuesday, October 15 at NAIA 3. 

(This world championship gold is really important because it’s my dream to reach the Olympics. It’s also my father’s dream, but he didn’t get the chance, so I’ll be the one to make it a reality.) 

After settling for runner-up finishes throughout her career, Petecio punched her way to a breakthrough gold on the world stage last Sunday, October 13 in the 2019 Women’s World Boxing Championships’ featherweight division held in Ulan-Ude, Russia. (FAST FACTS: Who is boxing world champion Nesthy Petecio?)

The 27-year-old became the second Filipina in the country’s history to win a world championship gold after Josie Gabuco in 2012. 

But for Petecio, her career gold medal meant everything to her especially after she missed the Olympic cut back in 2016. 

Compounding her heartaches, the Davao del Sur native was also “robbed” of her 2018 Asian Games bid when she lost to China’s Yin Jun Hua in a controversial 2-3 split decision in the opening bout. 

“Sobrang napaka-importante po ito sa akin kasi nga world championship po ito eh and first time ko magka-gold sa world championships, so sobrang sentimental ito sa akin,” said added Petecio. 

(This gold medal is really important to me because this is the world championship and this is my first time to get a gold in the world championships, so it’s really sentimental for me.) 

While she vies for a 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth, Petecio aims to finally top the podium in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where the women’s boxing event will make a return.

Even with a world gold under her belt, three-time SEA Games silver medalist Petecio wants to remain humble and still feels motivated to rule even in the regional biennial meet. 

The 2019 SEA Games boxing tournament is slated to run from December 2 to 7 at the PICC Forum in Pasay.

“Siyempre sobrang laki ng kumpyansa ko pero kumbaga wag [tayo maging overconfident] kasi ‘yung mga kalaban po natin nagpupursige din po sila so dobleng training pa po, mas i-doble pa, sipagan pa namin ng coaches.” 

(My confidence is really high but I don’t want to be overconfident because my opponents are also training hard, so I’m going to train double time with my coaches.)  – Rappler.com