Nesthy Petecio gets bronze as she misses final at Paris Olympics

Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio, left, fights Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in their women’s 57 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Nesthy Petecio lost steam in the final two rounds against a spirited opponent and missed the chance to advance to the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s boxing event.

Petecio stormed out of the gates with her big lefts sending Poland’s Julia Szeremeta reeling but could not carry that effort into the final two rounds of their 57kg semifinal bout Thursday morning at Stade Roland Garros.

Szeremeta reached the final after winning on four of the five judges’ scorecards.

“I thought this time it was mine, I had so much confidence in myself that I would get it. However, we weren’t very lucky tonight in winning. But I am still very thankful to the Lord because I performed well,” Petecio told One Sports in Filipino.

LIVE UPDATES: Team Philippines at Paris Olympics 2024 August 8

The 20-year-old Polish fighter, the youngest semifinalist in the women’s boxing event, fought back into contention in the second round after getting shut out in the first, using her reach to blunt Petecio’s combinations.

With well-timed counters, Szeremeta evened up the cards heading into the third and then continued to up her work rate, as Petecio seemed content looking for landing spots for her big combinations.

Szeremeta will battle Taiwanese Lin Yu Ting for the gold.

Nesthy Petecio vows no let up in bid for Paris Olympics gold

Petecio was the last fighter standing for the Philippine boxing team, which was reduced to a two-bronze output after a strong performance in the Tokyo Olympics where the squad collected two silvers and a bronze.

Aira Villegas was the other bronze medalist for the squad this year.

Eumir Marcial, a bronze winner in Tokyo, and Hergie Bacyadan lost their opening bouts while Tokyo silver medalist Carlo Paalam dropped out in the quarterfinals.