Aira Villegas still proud of Olympic bronze medal: 'Ginawa ko ang best ko'

While she fell short of gold, boxer Aira Villegas remains positive by proudly accepting the bronze medal.

In an interview with OneSports after her Aug. 7 match, Villegas said she is still proud despite losing to Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu.

"Hindi naman po ako super disappointed kasi ginawa ko yung best ko. Talagang pinag-aralan po and aminado po na magaling po talaga siya," she said.

According to Villegas, this was their second match-up. She revealed that she closely observed Cakiroglu's gameplay for this match.

"Halos parehas po kami ng laro, pero yun nga po magaling din po talaga, magaling kumuha ng distansya, everything po," she admitted, promising that she needs to come back stronger in the next round.

"In the future, magkikita at magkikita parin kami. Sa sususnod, kailangan ko talaga bumawi. Hindi pwede mag 3-0," she continued.

Villegas promised herself to make herself and the country proud by achieving her ultimate goal of having the Philippine National Anthem played in the arena.

"Nakapag uwi po ako ng medalya po. Sana po proud pa rin kayo sa akin. Sa younger self ko, I know that you are already proud of me. And to my future self, lalo ka pang magiging proud sa akin, gagawin ko yung pangarap ko na bago man lang mag retire sa boxing, patugtugan ako ng National Anthem ng bansa."

The 29-year-old boxer extended her appreciation to the people of her town for their unwavering support.

"Sa lahat po ng Taclobano, sobrang thank you po sa support sa akin throughout my journey. Sana po sa mga susunod na laban ay patuloy niyo pa po akong suportahan," she ended.

Villegas ended her Olympic journey in the semifinals of the women's 50kg boxing category, after suffering a loss to Turkey's Cakiroglu.

Cakiroglu dominated the fight from start to finish, winning via unanimous decision with 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 score.

Villegas is the second Filipino to bring home a medal in this year's Summer Olympic Games.