Two-time Olympic medalist Nesthy joins the ranks of bemedaled Filipino Olympians which include swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and gymnast Carlos Yulo. Aira, meanwhile, ends her debut Olympics appearance on a high note.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are down to its last few days. While we have had our fair share of heartbreaks during the games, we have also been riding high on the historic wins of gymnast and now two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo.
Then there are our two valiant Filipina boxers who have punched their way to Olympic glory with their hard-earned bronze medals: Olympic debutante Aira Villegas and now two-time Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio.
The pride of Tacloban
The first to have been assured of the bronze was Aira, who boxed her way through an arena of resounding boos when she booked a ticket to the semis in the 50kg division of women’s boxing on August 3.
She missed out on the finals of her event after she lost to Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu, a defeat that she took in stride and with her head held high. Aira, who once sold peanuts for a living, knows there’s no other way but up for her from that point on.
“To my younger self, I know that you’re already proud of me. And to my future self, I’ll make you even prouder,” Villegas said in a mix of Filipino and English during an interview with Olympic broadcaster Cignal/One Sports PH. “I’ll do everything to accomplish my dreams of having our national anthem played for me in the Olympics before I retire.”
Aira’s loss to Cakiroglu is nothing to be ashamed of. The Turkish was a former world champion and a Tokyo Games silver medalist, with Aira refusing to give her opponent an easy win, going all-out until the final bell. Aira herself said that she lost to a “deserving winner.”
“I’m not super disappointed because I did my best. She studied me and I have to admit that she’s really a good boxer,” said Villegas. “I’m sorry to the Filipinos who stayed up late to watch me.”
The bout marked the second time Villegas has lost to Cakiroglu, with the Filipina also bowing to the Turkish via unanimous decision in the quarterfinals of the 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, as reported by Rappler.
“I’m going home with a medal. I hope you’re still proud of me.” Of course, Aira! We are super proud of you!
The queen of Philippine boxing
I think it’s now safe to say that Nesthy is at this point the greatest Filipina boxer in history. Boasting two Olympic medals—a silver from Tokyo 2020 and now a bronze in Paris—the Davao del Sur native has now firmly secured her spot among the greats of Philippine sports.
Nesthy concluded her Paris Games run with a bronze after a split decision loss to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the women’s 57kg semifinal at the Roland Garros Stadium on Wednesday, August 7 (Thursday, August 8 in Manila).
“I thought it was going my way this time. I really believed that I would get it. But the win was not given to us,” said Petecio in Filipino in an interview with Cignal. “I’m still thankful because I fought well.”
The loss denied Nesthy of another encounter with Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting whom she beat three years ago in Tokyo.
The 32-year-old bowing out of the finals also meant the end of the Philippines’ quest in Paris for an Olympic boxing gold which has eluded the country in 100 years of participation in the Summer Games.
Despite the gold being elusive for Nesthy, she has one other thing to celebrate with her recent bronze win: she is now part of an exclusive club of Filipinos who have won multiple Olympic medals.
An elite club
The elite club of bemedaled Filipino Olympians include swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and gymnast Carlos Yulo. Nesthy is the first boxer in this esteemed roster.
Yldefonso clinched a pair of bronzes in 1928 Amsterdam and 1932 Los Angeles. Diaz, meanwhile, won the country its first-ever Olympic gold in Tokyo five years after bringing home a silver in 2016 Rio de Janeiro.
Caloy’s two golds in Paris further galvanized his status as the most bemedaled athlete in Philippine history with 23 gold medals and a total of 38 medals. Sprinters Lydia De Vega and Elma Muros-Posadas each won 24 medals in their careers.
