Filipina boxer Nesthy A. Petecio settled for a silver medal at the Olympics after bowing to Japanese Sena Irie by unanimous decision in the finals of the women’s featherweight boxing tournament at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Tuesday.
Ms. Petecio, 29, tried hard to get the gold with a more authoritative showing in the last two rounds but just could not get the nod of the judges in the end to lose, 5-0.
The Philippine bet was frustrated in the first round by the Japanese boxer’s continued holding and clinching to stop Ms. Petecio from gaining any momentum.
In the second and third rounds, Ms. Petecio did a better job landing more punches despite Ms. Irie’s attempts to slow down the contest.
On the scorecard, Ms. Irie won 29-28 in four judges while one scored it 30-27.
Ms. Petecio’s silver Olympic medal finish equals that achieved by Mansueto Velasco in 1996 in Atlanta and Anthony Villanueva in 1964 in Tokyo.
For her silver, Ms. Petecio is set to receive cash incentives from both the government and the private sector amounting to at least P17 million. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo