Philippines’ Aira Villegas (Blue) receives directions from the coach through the break whereas competing towards Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu within the girls’s 50kg semi-final boxing match through the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games on the Roland-Garros Stadium, in Paris on August 6, 2024. (Photograph by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
Aira Villegas fell wanting the gold medal in her first Olympics. However as a substitute of taking it straightforward, she is amplifying her efforts even with the following Summer time Video games in Los Angeles nonetheless a good distance’s away.
Villegas is already with the nationwide boxing group in its Baguio Metropolis camp since two weeks in the past, and the Paris Video games bronze medalist within the girls’s light-fly division will simply take a brief break subsequent weekend to just accept her award from the Philippine Sportswriters Affiliation on Jan. 27 at Manila Resort.
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“I instructed her to return to the camp directly after the awarding ceremony. There’s no time to loosen up,’’ mentioned nationwide girls’s boxing coach Reynaldo Galido in Filipino.
“Los Angeles [2028] remains to be a good distance, however I’m absolutely dedicated to get there and get one other medal,’’ mentioned Villegas in Filipino.
The 29-year-old southpaw from Tacloban Metropolis shaped a part of the nation’s best end within the Olympic Video games final 12 months when gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo pulled off a historic double-gold output that went with bronzes of fellow boxers Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial.
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“In the event that they keep dedicated to what we’re doing, I’m certain we will medal once more in Los Angeles. However we now have to double our efforts,’’ mentioned Galido.
Villegas is raring to maintain her Paris success within the 2025 World Boxing Championships from Sept. 4 to 14 in Liverpool, England adopted by the Southeast Asian Video games in Thailand in December.
“I’ve to organize effectively for these competitions, however I’m additionally excited concerning the different tournaments the place we are going to take part,’’ mentioned Villegas. INQ
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