Olympic retirement on hold? Petecio sees gold in 2028 Los Angeles

Petecio hopes to become the Philippines’ next Olympic champion after the country emerged triumphant in the past two Summer Games, with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz winning a historic gold in Tokyo in 2021 and gymnast Carlos Yulo earning a pair of golds in Paris in 2024.

“I’m super proud of your two golds,” Petecio told Yulo in Filipino in a speech during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night. “[Winning the gold] is also my dream. I’ll get that someday.”

Petecio fell short of the Olympic crown in Tokyo as she settled for silver following a unanimous decision loss to Japan’s Irie Sena in the final.

In the lead-up to Paris, where the 32-year-old ended up with bronze, Petecio hinted at it possibly being her final Olympics as she looks forward to a “normal” life away from the rigors and pressure of being an elite national athlete.

But Petecio has found it hard walking away from Olympic competition as the prospects of winning the coveted gold remain enticing.

“If I’m given a chance, if I qualify, I’ll make a push for it. We’ll bring home the gold,” said Petecio.

Boxing is in danger of being excluded for Los Angeles as the International Olympic Committee set a 2025 deadline to “find a new suitable” body after banning the International Boxing Association due to corruption and other administrative issues.

World Boxing, a new organization which the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines is a part of, seeks to hold the Olympic boxing competitions in 2028.

“I’m 100% sure that there will be boxing in the Olympics in LA,” said Petecio. – Rappler.com