Olympics: Breaking down Nesthy Petecio’s imposing victory

Photo courtesy of: Nesthy Petecio’s Instagram

If there was any crowd that could go toe-to-toe with the local Parisians’ energy, it was the Filipino contingent.

As Nesthy Petecio and Amina Zidani made their way to the ring for their Round of 16 bout, they received a thunderous welcome from their respective fanbases. But, when all was said and done, only one set of supporters found their crescendo.

That would be the Pinoy fans, who cheered wildly as Petecio scored a 4-1 decision over Zidani to advance to the quarterfinals of the women’s featherweight tournament.

With roaring spectators on her side, Petecio went to work on controlling the center of the ring. This spatial strategy ended up working to her advantage, as she inflicted plenty of damage whenever she pressed her French foe against the ropes.

To Zidani’s credit, she was a difficult target to hit in Round 1. Displaying exceptional footwork, the 2023 European Games gold medalist made Petecio work to get any decent offense in. Zidani wound up winning 10-9 on three judges’ scorecards after the opening salvo.

“Nung nalaman ko nga iyong score…hindi. Hindi pwede ito,” Petecio told News5 after the fight.

The turn of the tide came midway in the second round, when Petecio connected on a right hook that momentarily knocked Zidani on her knees. Despite the referee not calling for a count—a decision questioned by the commentators on the official Olympic coverage—Petecio sensed the momentum swing and pounced on Zidani with stinging lefts, along with some body shots.

Securing perfect scores from the judges in Round 2, Petecio continued her tactic of limiting Zidani’s movement across the ring. Though the pressure was on Zidani to mount significant offense, it was the 2020 Olympic silver medalist who brought more firepower, including strong left hooks and a right counter late in the final round.

As every fan in the arena nervously anticipated the result, the ring announcer appeared to hesitate for a moment before announcing the winner. When Petecio’s name was called, the French crowd sat in stunned silence while the Filipinos in attendance celebrated the hard fought-victory.

After securing her spot in the quarterfinals, Petecio hugged a thoroughly distraught Zidani, then walked to the center of the ring. Looking out into the stands, Petecio put on a few celebratory poses to acknowledge the power behind her punches: a loyal Pinoy crowd that had her back every step of the way.

“Salamat po sa pamilya ko, gising pa sila ngayon,” Petecio said in her post-fight interview. “Sa mga kapitbahay ko…at siyempre, sa mga Pinoy na nandito.”