Judges scores leave Nesthy Petecio perplexed

[Cookie2122]

Nesthy Petecio couldn’t have asked for a better start than the first round of her semifinal bout against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the 57-kilogram division of women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. What she kept asking after the bout was how the judges did not continue favoring her in the cards. “It was so weird,” Petecio told Olympic broadcaster One Sports after her 4-1 defeat to her 20-year-old opponent before dawn Thursday morning. “She had no clear punches in the third round while my body shots and my hooks were connecting. I really don’t know what happened.” Perhaps Szeremeta’s work rate drew the nod of the judges The energetic featherweight pressed on the attack in the last two rounds, mixing it up with Petecio, who indeed served up a menu of left hands again in the tournament. One big left had Szremeta backpedaling on wobbly knees in the first round that highlighted Petecio’s first hand. The Filipino pretty much stuck to her game plan of using her job to unlock Szeremeta’s length and allow her to step inside, close enough to work her left hooks. And she did land them. But Szeremeta countered that with relentless punching, regardless of whether she was connecting solidly or not.​

 

[alexalbon23]

That sounds like a tough and frustrating outcome for Petecio. It's hard to understand how the judges saw it differently, especially when her punches were clearly landing. Boxing can be unpredictable, and sometimes the judges' decisions leave everyone scratching their heads. Still, Petecio showed incredible skill and heart in the ring. She should hold her head high—she fought with determination and made her country proud!