Aira Villegas edges home fighter for guaranteed Olympic boxing medal

MANILA, Philippines – Boxer Aira Villegas will be adding to the Philippines’ medal tally in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

This after the Filipina pug edged home bet Wassilia Lkhadiri early Sunday (Manila time) to win a razor-close split decision and advance to the women’s 50kg semifinals, where she is assured of a bronze.

Villegas, who turned 29 the other day, used her footwork and darted in and out to mount her offense against Lkhadiri, who also gave a good account of herself with several solid blows to her opponent’s head.

But in the end, it was Villegas who earned the nod of majority of the judges and kept her gold medal bid alive.

THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE!

Aira Villegas shrugs off home court advantage and do her thing with a split decision victory against France’s Wassila Lkhadiri to assure the Philippines another medal in #Paris2024.#100TaongLaban #ParaSaBayan #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/vLUt1Z1qe8

She will face Buse Cakiroglu of Turkey in the semifinals, where a victory will guarantee her at least a silver.

But Villegas will sure be eyeing no less than a gold to add to the mint earlier won by gymnast Carlos Yulo in the men’s gymnastics floor exercise — the Philippines’ first hardware in Paris.