Aira Villegas wins bronze in boxing at Paris Olympics
Filipina boxer Aira Villegas has added a bronze medal to the Philippines' Olympic tally.
Her journey ended in the semifinals of the women's 50kg boxing category at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 7, where she suffered a loss to Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu, a silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Turkish boxer completely dominated the fight from start to finish, landing multiple punches and even knocking down Villegas early in the first round. By the second round, Villegas almost knocked down Cakiroglu, but the referee said it was a slip.
Cakiroglu came back stronger in the third and final round, winning via unanimous decision with 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 points.
Villegas' bronze medal joins the two golds won by gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Marking her Olympic debut in this year’s Paris Games, Villegas, a southpaw hailing from Tacloban, went on a long journey before securing the coveted Olympic berth. From accepting defeat, overcoming injury and early exits, to finally defeating the same foe from the past, look at her journey to finally becoming an Olympic medalist.
Making the first jab
Born on Aug. 1, 1995, the 29-year-old Olympian became interested in the sport at a young age. In her previous interview with Vogue Philippines, Villegas shared she first tried her hand at the sport at age nine, when her older brother Rominick, who was also a promising young boxer in Leyte, would train her “just for fun.”
“Nasobrahan ata ako sa fun; Kinareer ko na,” she quipped. Inspired by her brother’s prowess and the desire to provide for her family, Villegas dreamt of building a boxing career of her own and moved from Tacloban to Manila to become a professional athlete.
In the same interview, she shared that her carefree spirit and courage to make the big move came from her parents, who would always encourage her to seek adventure and find her passion.
Marking her name in the industry
At age 16, Villegas joined the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) which marked the start of her amateur career.
Over the years of training, she has since successfully made it to the global ring. In 2019, she competed at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games where she finished with a bronze medal.
She also competed in the IBA Women’s World Championships in Russia (2019) for the 52kg division, in 2022 in Turkey for 50kg, and in the 2022 Asian Games.
In 2022, the Philippine Olympic Committee selected her as one of the beneficiaries of the Olympics Solidarity Scholarship Grant by the International Olympic Committee as part of their preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Powering through defeats
the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mauro Pimintel / AFP
Villegas’ journey to the Olympics was not a smooth sailing one. She first tried to clinch her Olympic berth for the 2020 Tokyo Games but lost to Irish Magno—who finished in the top 16 in the prestigious competition.
She also missed the 2023 SEA Games after sustaining a hamstring injury.
One of her notable losses was her fight in the quarterfinal of the 74th Strandja Cup in Bulgaria last February 2023, where she was defeated by Wassila Lkhadiri of France—a foe she also fought in this year’s Summer Games.
She finally made it to the Olympics after her 5-0 win at the 1st World Qualification Tournament in Italy last March.
"Hindi po naging madali yung proseso, pero may mga taong naniwala po sa'kin, lalo na yung coaches ko, teammates, and yung ABAP family ko," Villegas shared with ABS-CBN News.
"Nag look back rin po ako sa kung bakit ko ginagawa ito, and kung bakit ko nag tagal sa team. Yun po yung nag bigay sakin ng puso para makapag qualify,” she added.
Securing her Olympic podium finish
Prior to the Aug. 7 match, Villegas made sure to stay focused and balanced. During the 50kg quarterfinal boxing match held on Aug. 3, she successfully defeated her old opponent, France’s Wassila Lkhadiri, which secured her spot for an Olympic medal.
"Nung third round po, sabi ko mag focus at relax lang kasi nung second round nang gigil ako at nawala ako sa focus," Villegas told ABS-CBN News' Dyan Castillejo after the competition.
"Sobrang thankful din po ako sa coaches kasi nadagdagan nila yung boost. Sinabi din nila na: 'Papayag ka bang kunin niya 'to sayo?' Sabi ko: 'Hindi, akin 'to. Akin 'to.'"
"Tapos tiwala lang po ako sa Panginoon, clear punches, wag padadala sa kahit anong mangyari, tapos binigay Niya po ito sa akin. Sobrang buti ng Panginoon po," she continued, adding that she is also dedicating her win for her co-Filipino Olympic boxers Hergie Bacyadan, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial who ended their Olympic campaign early.