TWELVE days after her elder sister Nesthy Alcayde Petecio captured a record Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal, 25-year-old single mother Nice Zzaa Petecio also brought pride and honor for the Philippines when she annexed gold in the Grand Slam Asian Boxing Championship 2019 in Xiamen, China Saturday, December 21. It was her first ever medal in an international tournament after five outings.
She dominated Minu Gu Rung of Nepal in their women's 57-kilogram championship bout via unanimous decision.
Nice Zzaa said she was confident to pull off a win having thrown and landed more punches than the Nepalese. The first round, however, was tough for her since she could not see the jabs that her rival threw at her but she eventually adjusted in the remaining rounds.
"Ako gisunod ang giingon sa akong coach Maam na sabayan nakog hulog akong wild cross while mag jab siya maam (I just followed what coach said to give her a wild cross whenever she goes for a jab)," Nice Zzaa, who hails from Barangay Tuban in Sta. Cruz in Davao de Sur, said in a Facebook Messenger interview with Sun.Star Davao Sunday, December 22.
The lean-but-mean national team, coached by Mitchell Martinez and Coach Jogen Ladon, collected a total of two golds, one silver and one bronze.
Nice Zzaa, just like 27-year-old Nesthy, started boxing at age 11 in Davao City with their father Teodoro as coach. That was when the latter worked as chicken dung collector at Illuminada Farms. She joined the national team in 2010 but left in 2013 to give birth to her son Zzaarwin who is currently five years old.
She only returned to the national team in February 2019.
"Overwhemed kaayo ko Maam kay sa upat nako ka dula sa international, permi rako quarterfinals. Kani ang ikalima. First medal nako sa international na gold pajud og naay trophy maam. Lami kaayo sa paminaw maam na madungog ang national anthem nato Maam (I'm so overwhelmed since in my past four international sints I only reach the quarterfinals. This is my first medal and it's a gold. It's a good feeling)," she said.
She dedicated her feat to her son who she claimed as her inspiration all these years.
Nesthy, Aiba Women's World Boxing Championships 2019 gold medalist, for her part, was elated by her sister's success, saying, "Proud kaayo ko sa iyaha nakab-ot karun Maam. Kabalo ko dugay pud na niya gipaningkamutan og nakita nako na. Gusto nako kung unsa akoa naabot mas malampasan pako sa akoa mga manghud pag-abot sa boxing (I am so proud of what she has achieved. I know that she really worked long and hard for this. I hope that my siblings will even surpass my accomplishments in boxing)."