AIBA 2019 Women's World Boxing champion Nesthy Alcayde Petecio's excitement to stage her debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics far outweighs the nervousness she feels being a newbie in the quadrennial Games.
Petecio and fellow Tokyo qualifiers Irish Magno and Carlo Paalam along with coaches Nolito Velasco, Elmer Pamisa, Don Abnett, and Reynaldo Galido were set to take the 9:55 Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 16.
Another Filipino Olympic boxing qualifier, Eumir Felix Marcial, for his part, also left for Tokyo on Friday after completing his training preparations in Colorado, USA.
Aiba 2019 Women's World Boxing champion Petecio, born in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur but started her amateur boxing career in Davao City, said, "Sobra ka excited na jud (I'm really excited)!" She's happy with the way their Thailand training camp went and she really looks forward to climb the Olympic boxing ring for the first time.
She has been updating her friends and family with her daily posts on her social media account while in Thailand. It was observed that she really lost a lot of weight, which according to her, was the fruit of the hard work she put in during training.
When asked how much weight she cut, Petecio was quick to reply, "Secret rana namo Ma'am pero dako-dako jud nabawas tawon (It's just a secret but I lost much)."
Now that she weighs lighter, she claims to have quicker footwork and that she can easily move her body around than when they started the bubble training. But she said all her progress will have to be proven when she actually competes.
She, however, felt more nervous with the Covid-19 testing. "Kulbaan ko sa Covid testing Ma'am, dili sa dula, kay kung mag-positive ka dili naka makadula. Kaya mas nakulbaan ko sa swab test jud (I fear the Covid-19 testing and not the competition since once you turn out positive, you can no longer play. That's why I dread the swab test more)," she told this writer.
The boxers and coaches who held the training camp in Thailand already got their second doses of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine on July 13. Petecio said their two swab tests yielded negative results.
The Tokyo Olympics Playbook for Officials and Athletes mandates that all athletes, coaches, and officials will have to present a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure upon their arrival in Tokyo.
The Olympic organizers' playbook also stipulated that athletes will be tested at the Athletes' Village and will be asked to test for Covid-19 at least once every four days during their stay. The same protocol will also apply to those staying in hotels.
Petecio added that they wrapped up their Thailand bubble training on Friday afternoon as they needed to prepare the documents for their Tokyo flight.
The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap), meanwhile, held a virtual sendoff Mass and fun fellowship for the Olympic-bound boxers on July 14.