Petecio leads Filipino pugs in return to training camp

MANILA, Philippines — At 32 years old and already decorated with a pair of Olympic medals, you would think Nesthy Petecio is already done for.

She isn’t.

Just months after snaring her Paris Games bronze — her second in the quadrennial games after a silver in Tokyo — Petecio made it known that she is far from hanging up her boxing gloves as she returned to the hunting ground where she seeks more glory.

“Present ako dyan,” said Petecio Monday, just moments after Mitchell Martinez, a member of the national coaching staff, posted photos on social media of the team reporting back to training in Baguio.

Petecio and the rest of the national pugs are eyeing several tournaments in the middle and the latter part of the year.

Interestingly, Petecio was the first to report to training out of the five Filipino pugs who competed in the French Capital.

According to Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines secretary-general Marcus Manalo, Carlo Paalam will come in a day late because he had to tend to personal matters while Aira Villegas is still in military duties.

As for Hergie Bacyadan, she is still with vovinam after snaring an Asian Championship gold medal just late last year.

“We have yet to sit down with her and vovinam about plans moving forward,” Manalo told The STAR. “Si Eumir (Marcial) is still undecided if he will go back full time with us.”

The country is eyeing to compete in several meets or attend training camps this year including one in Korea in April, the World Championships in Liverpool in September, the World Cup in New Delhi, India in November and the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.

And expect Petecio to fight for slots and be part of it all.