BOXER AIRA VILLEGAS BRONZE MEDALIST, PHILIPPINES 3RD OLYMPIC MEDAL


Third Olympic medal for the Philippines after Aira Villegas won the bronze medal in boxing (Photo courtesy of Reuters/GMA News)
Despite falling short against Turkish boxer Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals of the women's 50kg boxing event of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Aira Villegas still bagged the bronze medal making her the second athlete taking home a medal for the Philippines.
The Turkish boxer who progressed to the gold-medal won in points 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 via unanimous decision. Taking the 5-0 loss, the Olympic first-timer is still proud doing her best, both in her younger version that grinded it out to make it to Paris and for her future self that will continue to work.
"To my younger self, I know that you are already proud of me. To my future self, you will be even more proud. I will do [everything] to make it my dream that even before retiring from boxing, I will sing the national anthem of our country at the Olympics."
With Cakiroglu ranked second and rated as the first round's dominant player by all five judges, Villegas had a difficult task ahead of her. Not only did the Filipina lose the first round by a narrow amount, but there was still plenty of work to be done.
In the second round, Villegas knocked out her opponent, shocking her and giving her the confidence she needed to deliver some powerful punches.
“Cakiroglu is really good, I admit really good. But for me, I did my best. To all Filipinos who stayed up late, sorry. I brought home a medal, I hope you are still proud of me," Villega said.
President Bongbong Marcos Jr. commended the Filipina boxer for winning the bronze medal in a social media post. “That was a knockout performance in your Olympic debut! You made us all proud and are surely an inspiration to young Filipinas. Thank you for bringing home the bronze.”
Source: GMA Integrated News
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