By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Female boxers kept Team Philippines’ campaign alive as Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas moved on the cusp of securing Paris Olympic berths in the World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy on Sunday, March 10.
Petecio outclassed a taller but slow-moving Maud Van der Toorn of the Netherlands, 5-0, to advance to the semifinals of the women’s 57kg, while Villegas likewise routed Danish Sofie Vinter Rosshaug, 5-0, to barge into the women’s 50kg quarterfinals.
Unlike most weight classes that offer four Olympic tickets, Petecio has to go through a longer route as her division in the event has only two slots to the Paris Games.
And the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist has to produce an extraordinary effort in the semis where she is pitted against Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey, who dumped Great Britain’s Elise Glynn with a 4-1 decision.
Yildiz also competed in the previous Olympics, but in a heavier weight class at 60kg where she reached the quarterfinals.
Like Petecio, Villegas also needs to raise her game a notch higher if she is to get past the dangerous Bulgarian Zlatislava Genadieva Chukanova.
The Bulgarian was equally ruthless, scoring a 5-0 win over Jordanian Hanan Nassar.
Petecio and Villegas’ triumphs somehow cushioned the losses of Carlo Paalam and Rogen Ladon in the men’s 57kg and men’s 51kg, respectively.
Paalam, who eyes a return trip to the Games, was pulled out from his Round of 16 fight against Turkmenistan’s Shuku Ovezov due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the previous bout.
The match was stopped at the 52-second mark of the second round.
Ladon, for his part, absorbed a 4-1 loss to British Kiaran MacDonald.
Despite the defeats, Paalam and Ladon, as well as the six other Filipino fighters who exited earlier in the tournament, will have their last chance to earn Olympic tickets in the second World Qualification on May 23 to June 3 in Bangkok, Thailand.
