Nesthy Petecio, the last Filipina boxer remaining in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is set to compete for a place in the gold medal match. Petecio will face Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the women’s 57kg semifinals at 3:46 a.m. on Thursday.
At 32, Petecio aims to replicate or surpass her silver medal achievement from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Her opponent, the 20-year-old Szeremeta, is striving to secure Poland’s first Olympic boxing medal in 32 years.
Petecio has showcased dominant performances in her previous bouts, winning unanimous decisions against India’s Jaismine in the Round of 32 and China’s Zichun Xu in the quarterfinals. She also defeated Amina Zidani of France 4-1 in the Round of 16.
Conversely, Szeremeta began her Olympic journey with a split decision win in the Round of 32, followed by unanimous decision victories in the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals.
Should Petecio emerge victorious, she will face either Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey or Lin Yu Ting, who is currently involved in a gender controversy, in the finals.