Petecio, Paalam qualify for Tokyo Olympics, join Marcial, Magno

The Philippines will now have more shots to nab the ever-elusive Olympic gold medal.

Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam join the country’s boxing contingent for Tokyo by virtue of their highest standing in their respective weight categories, as confirmed by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force (IOC-BTF) on Friday, March 19.

The pair will join Olympians Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, both of whom already qualified last March 2020, in representing the country at the world of sports’ biggest stage.

Marcial qualified for the men’s middleweight class (75 kg), Magno in the women’s flyweight (52 kg), Petecio in the women’s featherweight (57 kg), and Paalam in the men’s flyweight class (52kg).

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ricky Vargas called upon Filipino fans to continue supporting the country’s 4 Olympic hopeful boxers in the midst of the pandemic.

“Let us all come together and focus on the challenges ahead not only of our boxers but all Filipino athletes. Now, more than ever, they need us to stand firmly behind them”, Vargas said.

Marcial and Magno, however, have recently hit the headlines after lamenting the delayed allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), even for Olympic hopefuls. – Rappler.com