A shift in tactics made it happen for Petecio, as the diminutive 29-year-old from Davao City chased her taller opponent with lightning-quick steps and rapid-fire punches to become the third Filipino pug to reach an Olympic final. Anthony Villanueva came up short in 1964 in Tokyo and so did Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in 1996 in Atlanta.
Petecio hopes to get a different result, determined to go all the way to win the ultimate prize, especially for her father and her best friend and former national teammate Alexcel Dargantes who died last February.
“It’s my father’s dream for me to make the national team. I’ve achieved it step by step. Gusto niyang makatungtong ako sa (He wanted me to be in the) Olympics, at gusto kong lagpasan iyon (and I want to do better). I want to win a medal,” said Petecio.
“It’s also for my best buddy. Bago siya namatay, nag-message pa siya sa akin (Before she died, she sent me a message). ‘I want you to fight in the Olympics. I know you can and you can win,’” Petecio added.
She goes for what could be the Philippines’ second-ever gold medal in the Tokyo Games, either against Great Britain’s Karriss Artingstall or Japanese Sena Irie in the final on Tuesday.
This story is from the August 01, 2021 edition of The Philippine Star.
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This story is from the August 01, 2021 edition of The Philippine Star.
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