Aira Villegas overcame not just her opponents but also a plethora of injuries on her way to copping a bronze medal in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Now that Paris 2024 bronze medalist Aira Villegas got her first taste of Olympic play and glory, a more prestigious dream is already painted in her mind.
“Aware akong bronze medalist ako, pero hindi ko pa rin siya maramdaman kasi 'yung utak ko and 'yung feeling ko, hindi ko pa nakukuha 'yung gold. So kailangan kong abutin pa 'yung goal ko,” Villegas said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, August 20.
Villegas, together with coach and Olympian Reynaldo Galido and Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Jarwin Manalo, spoke about her magical run in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Manalo even revealed that the 29-year-old boxer was bothered by a hurting knee, foot, and shoulder a month leading up to Paris 2024 and during the competition proper.
“Ang dami (injuries). May shoulder tendinopathy, mild ACL sprain, compartment syndrome sa left foot,” Manalo bared.
“Unang sabak niya sa sparring, nandoon na kami sa France (Metz training camp). And then 'yung actual sparring niya, andun na kami sa Germany, two weeks na lang before the Olympics. 'Yun na 'yung actual sparring against some of the opponents na nakaharap niya rin doon (sa Paris).”
But Villegas pushed through the pain to etch her name into the history books in her Olympic debut.
“Big competition na ito so ang focus ko doon is to get a medal,” Villegas bared.
She did, and the 29-year-old boxer was among three Philippine athletes who took home a medal in Paris 2024 alongside double gold medalist Carlos Yulo and fellow boxer Nesthy Petecio, who also snagged bronze.
Villegas breezed through in her first two fights and scored decisive wins against Yasmine Moutaqui of Morocco and Roumaysa Boualam of Algeria--the same boxer she sparred with in Germany while still recovering from her injuries.
[ALSO READ: Birthday victory: Aira Villegas advances to quarterfinals after overcoming Algerian foe in Paris 2024]
Waiting for Villegas in the quarterfinals was home bet Wassila Lkhadiri. One peptalk from coach Reynaldo Galido ahead of that clash was enough for the Filipina pugilist to understand what’s at stake.
"Sabi ko sa kanya, itong laban natin mabigat ito, hometown bet ang kalaban natin. Pero sabi ko huwag mong isipin 'yan, huwag mong isipin 'yung crowd. Kasi itong laban na ito ang makakapag-pabago sa buhay mo. Isipin mo yung mga magulang mo, mga kapatid mo," Galido spoke.
Surely enough, Villegas sent Lkhadiri packing with a narrow split decision win before succumbing to eventual silver medalist Buse Naz Cakuroglu of Turkey in the semifinals.
[ALSO READ: Aira Villegas secures a semis spot, sure medal in women's 50kg boxing of Olympic Games Paris 2024]
While that ended her shot at winning a gold medal, Villegas acknowledged her historic feat but insisted a lot of work needs to be done to achieve that elusive boxing Olympic gold for the Philippines.
"Grateful pa rin ako sa lahat ng blessings, pero kailangan ko pa ring mag-trabaho para makamit ang goal ko."