Nesthy Petecio
Birthday: April 11, 1992
Birthplace: Davao Del Sur, Philippines
Height: 5’4
Parents: Teodoro and Prescilla Petecio
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Gold Medalist, 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships
- Gold medalist, 2019 SEA Games
- Silver Medalist, 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Nesthy Alcayde Petecio is a Filipino amateur boxer.
Petecio’s silver medal proved historic. Her incredible run at the Tokyo Games made her the first woman from the Philippines to win a boxing medal, and the first Filipino boxer to medal at the Olympics since 1996.
Nesthy Petecio’s rise from an impoverished childhood to Olympic success has been the prevailing narrative during her run in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now, after making history, she appears to be set for life financially.
Nesthy Petecio came from a poor family. Her father was a farmer while her mother is a housewife. At a young age, Nesthy Petecio and her siblings had to aid their parents in the farm to earn a living. She recalled selling manure as fertilizer just to earn money. According to Nesty Petecio, boxing paved way for her to be able to attend college in Rizal Technological University in spite of financial problems and considers it her “way out of poverty.
Nesthy Petecio and her siblings were taught boxing as a means of self-defense. Nesty Petecio and her siblings went on to join inter-barangay boxing competitions to help their family financially.
Nesthy Petecio had a big break in her boxing career at age 11, when she joined a boxing match at the Araw ng Davao in Rizal Park, Davao City. Although competitions were usually arranged by gender, Nesty Petecio’s opponent was male with a bigger built and more experience than herself. However she was able to win the match, which drew the attention of Celestino Rebamonte who in turn endorsed her to the Philippine women’s team coach Roel Velasco. She was then able to compete at the 2007 Smart National Youth and Women’s Open Boxing Championships in Cagayan De Oro where she won gold. As a result she earned her a berth in the national boxing team
