By REY C. LACHICA
PARIS – In her 108 bouts spanning more than a decade, Nesthy Petecio has experienced almost all kinds of oppression, but this one hurts the most.
It was excruciatingly painful.
“This is so unfair,” lamented Petecio after absorbing a 4-1 defeat to a taller, heftier and abrasive Julia Atena Szeremeta of Poland in the semifinals of the women’s 54kg in the Paris Olympics Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Roland Garros Stadium.
“She didn’t have any clear punches in the third round. All my body shots, my hooks, connected well. I just don’t understand what happened,” the Tokyo Games silver medalist added.
But she had a suspicion that she would get a raw deal even before the contest could have ended.
“The referee always cautions me, I don’t know why,” said the 32-year-old Petecio was already assured of a bronze medal even before the opening bell.
The PH delegation, led by the Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino was also furious with the verdict of the judges, saying: “Unbelievable.”
The Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur native actually started impressively, tagging her 20-year-old rival with solid combinations that earned her the nod of the five judges.
Cocky but deadly, the Polish, in only her 43 bouts, made amends in the second round, unleashing more jabs and hooks during close range exchanges that somehow tilted the momentum in her side.
Her stance, always open while making jubilant gestures, could have swayed the judges according to POC Secretary-General Wharton Chan.
“I don’t know why Nesthy has this habit of holding her headgear after a fiery exchange. In contrast, her opponent raises her hand to make it look like she had a good hit,” said Chan.
Still, it was a good run for Petecio as she became the third Filipino athlete to win a medal in two successive Olympics.
She joined an elite club that had weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games)and gold in the Tokyo Games) and swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso (bronze medal winner in both the 1928 and 1932 Games) as members.
While she could not fathom the decision of the judges, Petecio was still proud with her performance.
“I am proud to fight for my country, my family, and for my dreams. I just thought this might be the perfect time [to win a gold].”
Will that be her last dance as what she repeatedly said before the greatest show on earth unfolded before billions of viewers?
“I still don’t know. I don’t want to rush my decisions. But, if I can still represent the country, then why not?”
In the finals set on Saturday, the Polish collides with Taiwanese top seed Lin Yu Ting, who was equally terrific in her 5-0 win over European Championships bronze medalist Esra Yıldız Kahraman of Turkey.
Petecio was coming off three big wins, posting a 5-0 win over Indian Jaimine Lamboria, a 4-1 triumph over No. 3 seed Amina Zidani of the host nation and Chinese Xu Zizhun.
