SEA Games stint vital for Petecio 2020 quest

Not that Nesthy Petecio isn’t preparing for the 30th Southeast Asian Games, but the reigning world champion—like a number of elite athletes like her—is looking at a bigger goal.

She doesn’t want to look too far ahead, though.

Petecio will be shooting to win gold in her division in the Games, but will not stop there, with the Asian Olympic Qualifiers set February next year in China. It is a vital stint for her to make it to the main draw in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“The coaches and everybody else on the team always tell me that I should take it step by step, because if I look too far out into the future, then my thoughts might just be jumbled up,” said Petecio in Filipino Friday during practice at the boxing gym in Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

“I’m focusing first on the SEA Games then I’ll turn my attention to the Olympic Qualifying immediately after.”

Another world champion, gymnast Caloy Yulo, will also be playing in the SEA Games where he hopes to fine-tune his game further for the Olympics.

Petecio reached elite status in amateur boxing when she won the gold medal in the featherweight division in the 2019 Aiba Women’s World Boxing Championships last month, and another shot at the Olympic stage is her ultimate goal.

Despite being the top boxer in her division, Petecio still has to go through the qualifying tournament for Asia and Oceania countries and has to place in the top four to enter the World Qualifiers scheduled on May 13 to 24 in Paris, France.