Nesthy Petecio rose to the occasion and booked her place in the women’s 57kg quarterfinals of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with a split-decision, 4-1 win over hometown favorite Amina Zidani in the Round of 16 early Saturday morning.
Fresh from her dominant victory over India’s Jaismine Lamboria, the 32-year-old boxer from Davao del Sur knew she had her work cut out for her against Zidani, who was raised just a rail station away from the North Paris Arena.
With this win, Petecio is now just one victory away from securing her second consecutive Olympic medal. She will face either China’s Xu Zichun or Colombia’s Valeria Arboleda Mendoza on Sunday at 9:30 PM.
(NOTE: Following publishing, Petecio will be facing Xu Zichun, who defeated Arboleda by a 3-2 decision.)
Petecio started strong in the third and final round with solid shots to Zidani’s body. The hometown crowd rallied behind the 30-year-old Parisian, who had her moments, but Petecio did enough to take the round and the contest.
Petecio played somewhat cautiously at the start, and although she connected on her punches when she stepped in, Zidani managed to score from a distance.
The Frenchwoman convinced three of the five judges to score in her favor in the opening frame. However, that was the extent of her success as the former World Champion eventually took control.
In the second round, Petecio switched from a passive approach to a more aggressive stance, firing solid combinations and continuously pouncing on Zidani after taking short breaks. Her scoring barrage allowed her to take the round unanimously.
The third round was decisive. Despite Zidani getting two of the judges on her side, Petecio’s efforts were enough to secure her place in the last eight.
