Team Phiippines just raked in its fourth medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics! On Thursday, August 8, Nesthy Petecio secured a bronze medal finish following a valiant semifinal match against Poland's Julia Szeremeta. With this achievement, the 32-year-old boxer adds a second Olympic medal to her resume, having previously won a silver medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As congratulations are in order for Nesthy, her journey to global acclaim is especially worth remembering. From her humble beginnings in Davao del Sur to representing the Philippines for women's boxing, the Davaoeña quite literally punched her way out of poverty. Ahead, read on and learn more about the decorated Filipina boxer's inspiring journey.
Who Is Nesthy Petecio? 10 Facts About the Two-Time Olympic Boxing Medalist
1. Nesthy is an Aries.
Nesthy Alcayde Petecio was born on April 11, 1992, making her 32 years old as of writing.
2. Nesthy was born in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.
She was born and raised in Santa Cruz, a mountainous seaside municipality in Davao del Sur. Her father, Teodoro, was a farmer, while her mother Prescilla was a housewife. She is the eldest among three siblings, all of whom are boxers as well.
3. Nesthy picked up boxing at seven years old to help with her family's finances.
Nesthy learned boxing from her father as a means to help make ends meets. In March 2020, the ringster sat down for a podcast interview with sports journalist and host Ceej Tantengco. During the 20-minute episode of Go Hard Girls, she candidly narrated her family's struggles with poverty during her childhood. "'Nung time na 'yun walang wala din talaga kami," she recounted. "Kapag may mga inter-barangay [na liga o 'yung] mga palaro, sasali talaga kami [ng mga kapatid ko] kasi alam namin may premyo eh, at may pambili na kami ng bigas."
4. Nesthy competed against a male boxer when she was 11 years old and won.
Nesthy's career took a turn when she was 11 years old. During the Araw Ng Davao festivities in Rizal Park, Davao City, Nesthy found herself in a match against a taller and more experienced male opponent. "Tinatanong din nila ako kung kaya mo ba, sabi ko 'kaya ko.' Walang pagdududa, buo ang loob ko," Nesthy shared in the podcast. While there were other sports competitions going on in the venue, spectators quickly made their way to the boxing ring to witness Nesthy go up against a man. "Lahat po ng tao pumunta po talaga sa boxing [ring] 'nung nalaman nilang babae versus lalaki [ang maglalaban]."
Nesthy ended up winning the match, effectively capturing the attention of Celestino Rebamonte, who then endorsed her to Roel Velasco, the coach of the Philippine national team. Soon after in 2007, Nesthy competed in the Philippine national games where she took home her first gold medal.
5. Nesthy almost quit boxing due to depression.
Since making her amateur boxing debut, Nesthy has amassed an impressive number of medals from international tourneys such as the 2011 and 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the 2014 AIBA Women's World Championships, and the 2015 President's Cup in Indonesia. However, the boxing prodigy's career was not all sunshine and rainbows.
In 2016, Nesthy failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Just less than two years later, she prematurely bowed out of the 2018 Asian Games. Still reeling from the devastating loss and a breakup with her girlfriend, Nesthy faced a seven-month bout with depression. At the time, the boxer was ready to call it quits and look for another source of livelihood. "Makikita ko 'yung [boxing] gloves, ayoko hawakan eh," Nesthy recalled during her interview with Ceej. Nonetheless, after seeking help from a sports psychologist, Nesthy got back on her feet and geared up for her next slew of matches.
6. Nesthy won three gold medals in a year.
Her redemption tour began in 2019 at the Thailand Open International Boxing Championship, where she secured a gold medal finish. Later that year, Nesthy emerged as the world featherweight champion at the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. During the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Nesthy brought home another gold medal after defeating Myanmar's Oo New Ni, the reigning world champion at the time.
7. Nesthy won a silver medal during her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
After rising through the global ranks, Nesthy earned herself a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Although a rookie on the Olympic stage, Nesthy impressively made her way to the finals of the women's featherweight division, where she took home the silver title.
8. Nesthy won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nesthy secured another podium finish during her sophomore appearance at the Olympics. During the semifinal match, the boxing star lost against Poland's Julia Szeremeta. Nonetheless, Nesthy concluded her Olympic run with another bronze medal chip to her name.
9. Nesthy is the fourth Filipino athlete in history to garner multiple Olympic medals.
Following her successful Olympic campaign during the Paris Games, Nesthy joins the ranks of elite Filipino athletes such as swimmer Teófilo Yldefonso, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and gymnast Carlos Yulo, all of whom have won two Olympic medals throughout their career. Teofilo won two bronze medals in 1928 and 1932, Hidilyn won silver in 2016 and a gold in 2020, and Carlos most recently brought home two gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
10. Nesthy openly identifies as a lesbian.
After winning a silver medal in Tokyo, Nesthy dedicated her achievement to the LGBTQIA+ community. "Para rin po sa LGBTQ community ang laban na 'to. Sulong, laban!" she told ESPN.
On her Instagram page, Nesthy frequently shares photos of her fiance, Gen. Nesthy announced their engagement through an Instagram post in 2019.
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