THE NUMBER of medals the Philippines won at the Paris 2024 Olympics rose to four after boxer Nesthy Petecio ended her Olympic run with a bronze medal.
Petecio lost to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in a 4-1 split decision in the semifinals of the women’s 57kg division early Thursday (Manila time).
Still, Petecio bagged a bronze medal, the country’s fourth Olympic medal after gymnast Carlos Yulo won two gold medals and fellow boxer Aira Villegas with a bronze medal.
Recent headlines were filled with millions worth of rewards from the Philippine government and conglomerates the 24-year-old gymnast would receive for being the first Filipino athlete to walk away from the Olympics with two gold medals.
Of course, Petecio and Villegas are not exemptions from such monetary incentives.
Under Republic Act (RA) No. 10699 or the National Athletes, Coaches and Trainers Benefits and Incentives Act, the two Filipino boxers will receive P2,000,000 each from the government for winning a bronze medal in an individual event.
Meanwhile, Olympic gold medalists like Yulo will receive P10,000,000.
Silver medalists, on the other hand, will receive P5,000,000.
With her bronze medal, Petecio became one of the Filipino two-time Olympic medalists, following Yulo, weightlifter and the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, and swimmer and the country’s first Olympic medalist Teofilo Yldefonso.
The 32-year-old boxer first won a silver medal in the women’s featherweight final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Meanwhile, Villegas reached another milestone in her boxing career by clinching a bronze medal in her Olympic debut.
Congratulatory message
Filipinos continued to celebrate Petecio and Villegas’ triumph, congratulating the two for winning Olympic medals and representing the Philippines at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Among those who greeted the boxers was President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. He thanked Petecio and Villegas for winning the country two more Olympic medals, expressing how proud the whole Filipino nation is of them.
“You’ve truly shown the world how Filipinos never back down from a challenge,” Marcos told Petecio.
He previously congratulated Villegas for her “knockout performance” in her Olympic debut, stressing that she is “an inspiration to young Filipinas.”
Marcos told the media on Wednesday that he would seek Yulo’s advice on how the government could help boost the Philippines’ chances of winning more medals in the next Olympic Games.
