Petecio, Marcial kick off campaign in Paris Olympics

PARIS – Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial will kick off their Paris 2024 campaigns on Tuesday, aiming to surpass their previous Olympic achievements.

Petecio, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, faces India's Jaismine Lamboria in the women's 57kg Round of 32 at 5:54 p.m. (11:54 p.m. Philippine time).

Lamboria, a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, secured her Olympic spot after a series of impressive victories.

Determined to claim gold, Petecio vows to fight relentlessly until victory.

"Walang hinto, hangga't walang ginto (No stopping until I win gold)," said Petecio, repeating the battle-cry she started after bagging the silver medal in Tokyo.

Marcial, the Tokyo bronze medalist, received a first-round bye before facing Uzbekistan's Turabek Khabibullaev in the Round of 16 at 9:04 p.m. in Paris (July 31, 3:04 a.m. Philippine time).

Should he prevail, a potential quarterfinal clash with reigning Olympic champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba looms large. The Cuban, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, turned professional after his Tokyo triumph but has maintained his competitive edge.

Beyond Lopez, the road to gold is littered with formidable opponents.

Top seed Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan of China, who defeated Marcial at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, and the hard-hitting Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak, who narrowly edged out the Filipino in Tokyo, pose significant threats.

"Abangan na lang nila (They better wait)," said Marcial when asked what kind of preparation he has done for the Olympics when spotted by Filipino sportswriters after Aira Villegas' 5-0 triumph early Monday morning against Morocco's Yasmine Mouttaki.

In rowing, Joanie Delgaco is set to face reigning Olympic champion Emma Twigg of New Zealand in Heat 3 of the quarterfinal phase, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday (PH time) at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, just outside the French capital.

Twigg won the gold back in 2021 Tokyo, setting the current Olympic record of seven minutes and 13.97 seconds.

Switzerland's Katharina Janzen, a former under-23 world champion, is also a favorite to breeze past her quarterfinal heat.

Completing the cast are Virginia Diaz of Spain, Diana Dymchenko of Azerbaijan and Jovana Arsic of Serbia.

The top three will move on to the main semifinals, keeping their hopes of winning a medal alive, while the other racers will be relegated to the Division C semifinals.

With how things went over the weekend, it might require Delgaco, who finished the repechage at seven minutes and 55 seconds flat, to go sub-7:40 to have a chance at staying in medal contention.

Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission Chair Richard Bachmann praised the outstanding performances of Filipino athletes while personally supporting the Philippine team.

" This demonstrates how collective efforts from both government and private sectors enable our athletes to maintain great mental and physical readiness throughout the competition," Bachmann said in a news release.

Bachmann also witnessed Villegas' dominant victory over Moutakki.

"It's incredibly fulfilling to me, as a fan, witnessing our Olympians excel and raise the bar. Their overall showing in every battle, win or lose, continues to elevate the success of Philippine Sports," he added.

On Sunday, gymnast Carlos Yulo reached the final of the men's individual all-around category after garnering a total of 83.631 points to finish ninth in the preliminary round.

Philippine Olympic Committee Abraham Tolentino also personally congratulated Villegas after winning her first women's flyweight bout.

"After some eliminations, our athletes are starting to rise," he said.

Fencer San Catantan put up a brave stand for a 15-13 victory against Brazilian Mariana Pistoia but ultimately fell to world No. 2 and top seed Arianna Errigo of Italy, 12-15, on Sunday.

Female gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar and Emma Malabuyo didn't make it past the qualification phase. (PNA)