Aira Villegas Secures Second Olympic Medal for the Philippines with Quarterfinal Victory

VILLEPINTE, PARIS NORTH ARENA — Aira Villegas guaranteed the Philippines its second medal at the Paris Olympics, following a tightly contested women’s flyweight boxing quarterfinal against France’s Wassila Lkhadiri early Sunday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Villegas emerged victorious via a split decision, with three judges scoring in her favor (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) and two favoring Lkhadiri (30-27, 29-28). The Philippine boxer’s triumph came shortly after Carlos Yulo clinched a gold medal in men’s floor exercise, marking a significant day for Team Philippines. Villegas dedicated her win to her teammates Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and Hergie Bacdayan, who were eliminated earlier in the competition.

Villegas expressed her emotions and motivation in an interview with One News, noting her dedication to her teammates and using their earlier defeats as a driving force for her performance. With this win, Villegas is assured of at least a bronze medal but has the opportunity to elevate it to silver when she faces Turkiye’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals. The upcoming bout will take place at the renowned Roland Garros Stadium in downtown Paris early Wednesday.

In addition to Villegas’s success, Team Philippines looks forward to further competitions on Sunday, including John Cabang Tolentino in the men’s 110m hurdles and Nesthy Petecio in the women’s boxing 57kg quarterfinals, each aiming for medal positions, along with Yulo competing in the vault finals.