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Olympic medalist Villegas forges ahead despite uncertain future of Olympic boxing
Paris Olympics bronze medal winner Aira Villegas says she is grateful for achieving a stunning feat in her maiden appearance at the quadrennial event but says she still wants to get a gold medal of her own in the future.
Villegas expressed that she had not grasped the reality that she had seized a significant triumph as her initial goal of claiming a gold was not fulfilled.
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“I am aware that I am a bronze medalist but it doesn’t feel like it. I feel like I still need a medal. I was not able to actually feel it. Yes, I am a medalist. I am very grateful for that, very grateful for the blessings but I still don’t really feel it. I still need to work hard to reach my goal,” Villegas said in Filipino during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The 29-year-old Villegas’ hunger for an Olympic gold medal is in shallow waters as the future of boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is dubious despite already not being listed as a competing sport.
Boxing has become the richest source of Olympians for the Philippines as it has already delivered ten medals, including the bronze medals of Villegas and Nesthy Petecio in the recently concluded Paris Olympics.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines secretary-general Marcus Jarwin Manalo asserted the reason why boxing was unlisted in the Olympic program was because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has withdrawn its recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) as an International Federation (IF).
An upcoming Extraordinary Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Congress at the end of August will tackle the impending status of the sport and to clarify the considerable confusing narrative of the IOC’s stance on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
"It is going to be critical because next week there will be an ASBC Extraordinary Congress that will take place in Abu Dhabi and one of the key points that will be discussed is the participation of Asian National Federations in World Boxing. I say that it is critical because there are still a lot of Asian countries that are still not a member of World Boxing,” said Manalo.
"If these countries join World Boxing, I think it can actually convince the IOC that it is an IF that can represent boxing at the Olympic level."
With the future of the sport being in limbo, Villegas still has the heart to influence youngsters who are aiming to join the extreme field of pugilism.
“Let us not rush. Like what people say, in God’s perfect time. Let us be grateful in the present and think that you will be able to reach the position of those people who went before you, just don’t be hasty,” said Villegas.
“We can achieve all of our dreams. But remember to not just keep dreaming and dreaming, you have to incorporate hard work and effort.”
Even with an Olympic boxing gold remaining elusive for the Philippines, the heavy-hitting performances and back-to-back multi-medal achievements in the Tokyo and Paris Olympiads put the nation back in the Olympic stage as contenders.
As for Villegas, she will continue to set her sights for higher results in her career fuelled by rigorous training and a setback that will ignite a better and outstanding result.
