Four Filipino pugilists have made their nation proud by securing gold medals at the Boxam Elite Tournament held in Alicante, Spain. Leading the delegation was Nesthy Petecio, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, who contributed one of the four medals.
In a thrilling final match, Petecio defeated Hsiao Wen Huang of Chinese Taipei, emerging victorious in the women’s featherweight-57 kg division. Rogen Ladon, a competitor in the 2016 Rio Games, clinched gold in the men’s flyweight-51 kg division by defeating Istvan Szaka of Hungary. Aira Villegas displayed her prowess in the women’s light flyweight-50 kg division, toppling Kyzaibay Nazym of Kazakhstan to claim gold. Hergie Bacyadan also came out on top in the women’s middleweight-75 kg division, defeating Yerzhan Gulsaya of Kazakhstan.
While the Boxam Elite Tournament in Spain is not part of the two Olympic qualifying tournaments this year, these victories align with the Philippines’ rigorous training as they continue preparations for the 2024 Paris Games. Their next challenges will be the Olympic Qualification Tournaments (OQTs) in Busto Arsizio, Italy, from February 29 to March 12, and in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 23 to June 3.