Petecio siblings fight for country, family pride at SEA Games 2023

FILE– Nesthy Petecio. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / POOL / AFP)

PHNOM PENH—While reclaiming her throne will have significant weight, Nesthy Petecio considers her brother’s fledgling national team tour that starts in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as the one that has greater value.

Norlan Petecio will have the stage for his coming out party here, as he sees action in the men’s welterweight division (67 kilograms) of the biennial meet’s boxing competitions with no less than his popular sister Nesthy as his biggest fan.

“I’m excited for my brother, more excited than the fights lined up for me in the SEA Games,’’ said Nesthy, who is out to restore her mastery of the featherweight class (57kg) here after a failed bid in the women’s lightweight last year in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Petecio siblings, should they succeed, can become the first brother-sister gold winners in SEA Games boxing.

“To be honest, I no longer think about what my performance will be because I have been focusing on him. I told him that this is the break that we have been waiting for,’’ said Nesthy, the silver medalist in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Norlan will be up against the best in his class with defending SEA Games welterweight champion Bunjong Sinsiri of Thailand, Indonesia’s Sarohatua Lumbantobing and Mohd Aswan of Malaysia among the medal contenders.

“I look forward to his performance. It’s his turn to make a name for himself, not only for our country, but for his family as well. He got motivated when he saw all the blessings that came to me,’’ said Nesthy.

Though admitting excitement for his brother, Nesthy, who expects stiff opposition from reigning titleholder Vurong Thi Vy of Vietnam and Thailand’s Nilawan Techasuep, didn’t come to this sports spectacle unprepared and without a chance to win.

“I’m in good condition. Every fight here in the SEA Games is hard, especially now that the competition is getting stronger. They always say that boxers from Myanmar, Cambodia or Vietnam are easy to beat, but this generation is quite different,’’ said Nesthy.