Despite packing a mean punch, Nesthy Petecio is as sunny and joyful as one can get.
She may beat anyone in the world in a fistfight but she’ll also crack anyone up with her quips.
But behind the gloves and that smile is a 29-year-old who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Yes, her Olympic dream is not just hers alone.
“It means a lot to me po, kasi it is my father’s dream, and my dream also.
“This win is not only for me but also for my family, and to Filipinos, who prayed for me,” she told the Filipino mediamen covering the games in Tokyo.
Petecio could have easily hung up her boots in 2018 as she failed in tournaments in Jakarta and New Delhi. The skid continued in early 2019 as she could not muster wins in Bangkok and Guwahati.
It was her dad Teodoro who kept pushing her to fight on. It was Teodoro who served as her guide when she was in a dark place in her life.
Then came the world championships that saw her beat the best of the best. Petecio also took down the Southeast Asian Games that same year.
But before the Olympics, a personal tragedy struck Petecio as her best friend Alexcel Dergantes passed away a day before Valentine’s Day.
So right after Petecio stunned Italy’s Irma Testa to advance to the gold medal round of the Games, she made sure to pay tribute to her friend.
“Sobrang saya ko po na makakapasok ako sa gold-medal round, kasi hindi lang po ito para sa akin, para rin po ito sa bayan, sa best buddy ko na si Alexcel Dergantes na yumao na,” she expressed.
Behind the smile she always sported, Petecio had always been in pain. But it’s her spirituality that always lifted her up.
And she hopes that all the pain she had suffered will lead her to Olympic glory.
“I won this fight because I believed in God, I believed that He will help me.”
