Nesthy Petecio in disbelief over judges' call: 'Sobrang labo, pero 'yun 'yung nakikita nila eh'

Nesthy Petecio was left dumbfounded by the judges' decision during her semifinal bout against Poland's Julia Szeremeta at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"Sobrang labo, sobrang labo talaga," she told One Sports after her Aug. 8 match in Paris. "Pero yun yung nakikita nila eh so wala na tayong magagawa po. Pero grabe, wala siyang clear punch sa third round. 'Yung mga body shots ko, mga hook ko, pumapasok. Ewan ko. Hindi ko po alam 'yung anong nangyari."

She said the referee always gives her warnings, but that she might not have seen things the way they do.

"Siguro 'yun nga, hindi ko alam yung nakikitang side nila so sila na 'yun and nirerespeto ko 'yun," she said.

Despite that, Petecio is still proud of herself, her achievements, and her performance during the match.

"Sobrang proud po ako na hanggang ngayon, lumalaban para sa bayan, sa pamilya, sa pangarap, and sa pangarap ko na ginto," Petecio said.

"Akala ko akin na 'to this time pero sobrang grabe 'yung tiwala ko sa sarili ko na makukuha ko siya. Pero 'yun nga medyo hindi tayo [pinalad] ngayong gabi sa panalo pero sobrang thankful pa rin ako kay Lord kasi maganda yung pinakita ko," she continued.

Asked about how she sees her career in the future, she said: "Hindi ko pa siya masasabi ngayon. Pero 'yun nga hangga't kaya ko pa, bakit hindi natin ipagpatuloy?"

Petecio clinched the bronze medal on Thursday, Aug. 8.

A close fight ended in a split decision, with Poland's Julia Szeremeta ultimately claiming victory in the women’s 57kg semifinals.

She dominated the first round, but Szeremeta made a strong comeback and won by scores of 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29.

Petecio joins the list of Filipinos who have won multiple Olympic medals, clinching the second bronze medal for the Philippines and the country’s fourth overall medal in this year's Olympics.