Olympic Silver Medal For Nesthy Petecio

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Boxer Nesthy Petecio missed out on a gold medal by a whisker after losing a unanimous decision to Japan’s Sena Irie at the Kokugikan Arena on Tuesday.

Irie defeated the determined Filipina in the first and third rounds, 5-0, to win the match and the gold medal.

As a result, the Philippines’ quest for its first Olympic gold medal in boxing continues.

Irie reasserted her dominance over Petecio, who she had beaten three times in a row.

Irie and Petecio have fought four times since 2019, with Irie winning her first fight against Petecio in Thailand in the 2019 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.

Later that year, Petecio avenged herself by defeating Irie by majority decision in the quarterfinals of the 2019 AIBA World Championships in Russia, where she went on to win the world title.

In March 2020, Irie would defeat Petecio once more in Jordan, denying the Filipina an outright Olympic place in the Asia and Ocenia Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.

Petecio had to overcome four pugs, including World No. 1 Yu Ting Lin, on his way to the gold medal match.

She most recently defeated Italy’s taller and longer Irma Testa in the semifinals to set up the match against Irie.