The chance at the glory of an Olympic gold is still alive for Davaoeña boxer Nesthy Petecio, the country’s last boxer who’s still in contention in the Paris games, as she figures in the women’s 57kg semifinals against Julia Szeremeta of Poland at 3:46 a.m. (PHT) on Thursday.

A semis win for Petecio will pave the way for another finals appearance in the women’s featherweight division– an all-familiar territory for the 32-year-old Davao del Sur native who made history in 2021 when she won a silver medal to become the first Filipina boxer to reach the podium at the world’s largest sporting event. 

Already assured of a bronze finish after unanimously winning over China’s Zichun Xu in the quarterfinals, Nesthy is poised to give the Philippines another shot at a gold medal in Paris, but will have to take care of business when she clashes with her Polish foe.

According to a report by Bea Micaller of GMA Integrated News, the two-time Olympian and World Championships gold medalist is entering the semifinals bout as the favorite against a younger and less experienced opponent in 20-year-old Polish boxer Julia Szeremeta.

The Filipina boxer’s Paris campaign has been nothing short of impressive thus far, after scoring unanimous victories against India’s Jaismine in the Round of 32, and China’s Zichun Xu in the quarters, and cruising to a 4-1 win against home bet Amina Zidani of France in the Round of 16.