Judges scores leave Nesthy Petecio perplexed

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

Nesthy Petecio couldn’t have asked for a better start than the first round of her semifinal bout against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the 57-kilogram division of women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What she kept asking after the bout was how the judges did not continue favoring her in the cards.

“It was so weird,” Petecio told Olympic broadcaster One Sports after her 4-1 defeat to her 20-year-old opponent before dawn Thursday morning. “She had no clear punches in the third round while my body shots and my hooks were connecting. I really don’t know what happened.”

READ: Nesthy Petecio confused after boxing semifinal loss at Paris Olympics

Perhaps Szeremeta’s work rate drew the nod of the judges.

The energetic featherweight pressed on the attack in the last two rounds, mixing it up with Petecio, who indeed served up a menu of left hands again in the tournament. One big left had Szremeta backpedaling on wobbly knees in the first round that highlighted Petecio’s first hand.

The Filipino pretty much stuck to her game plan of using her job to unlock Szeremeta’s length and allow her to step inside, close enough to work her left hooks. And she did land them.

But Szeremeta countered that with relentless punching, regardless of whether she was connecting solidly or not.

“That’s what they saw, so there’s nothing we can do,” Petecio said.

READ: Nesthy Petecio gets bronze as she misses final at Paris Olympics

The semifinal defeat turned her guaranteed bronze into an official chalk mark in the medal tally. The Philippines now has two silvers and two bronzes in the Paris Games, bettering the one gold, two silvers and one bronze the country brought home three years ago from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympiad.

“Counting the silver in Rio [of Hidilyn Diaz], the four medals in Tokyo and the four now here, it’s nine (games) medals [for the country] after going without a medal in the Olympics for 20 years,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines chair Ricky Vargas.

“Four medals [in Paris] from a 22-strong team with meager funding, that’s excellence.”

Two weightlifters will get the chance, however slim, of bumping up the Philippines’ medal tally.

Pagdanganan in contentionVanessa Sarno, a former Asian champion in both juniors and seniors division and Tokyo Olympian Elreen Ando are up next for the Philippines.

Bianca Pagdanganan, of the Philippines, hits her shot from the 3rd tee during the second round of the women’s golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, at Le Golf National, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Also in contention is Bianca Pagdanganan, the Philippine ace who was seven shots out of the lead in women’s golf after signing for an even 72 in the first round on late Wednesday.

The second round was running at press time. Dottie Ardina, the other Philippine bet, was 11 shots off the first-round pace after a 76.

Lifter John Ceniza tumbled out of the men’s 61-kg weightlifting event on late Wednesday evening after three “No Lifts” at 125 kg in the snatch.

The Olympics awards only one title for the highest total lift, unlike other major tournaments that also give medals for the snatch and the clean and jerk. Because of this, Ceniza wasn’t able to progress to the clean and jerk and ended his Olympic debut with a DNF (did not finish).

“I apologize to the Filipino for my failure in the Olympics,” the Cebuano lifter, who was nursing a shoulder injury, said.

“My adrenaline was high but the pain made me unable to focus,” he said.

Petecio had only one medal in mind for the Games, repeatedly saying that she wouldn’t stop until getting the gold in Paris.

Szeremeta, however, put the brakes on that bid.

“I really believed that I would take the gold this time,” Petecio said.

At 32, this could have been her final chance to be an Olympic champion.

But she is not closing her doors on still competing in the Games again someday.

“As long as I can still do it, why not?” Petecio said.