MANILA, Philippines – Filipina boxer Aira Villegas received one of the best birthday gifts she could ever get, a ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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| A birthday win for Aira Villegas! Photo Courtesy: Screengrab from Paris 2024/IOC via One Sports |
Villegas pulled off an upset win against Algeria's Roumaysa Boualam in the round-of-16 of the women's 50kg division early Friday (Philippine time).
With a clean sweep from the judges, scoring 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28, Villegas' triumph makes this a birthday she’ will never forget!
The bronze medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games turned 29 on August 1.
The Tacloban-born boxer displayed her movement counterpunching to win all the judges' scorecards in the first round. While the next two frames were closer, it was Villegas' clean blows that spelled the difference.
Villegas will be up against a French boxer in the quarterfinals -- Wassila Lkhadiri, who defeated Ireland's Daina Moorehouse in their own round-of-16 bout.
A victory in the quarterfinals will assure Villegas of a medal.
Villegas advanced to the round-of-16 after a unanimous decision win over Yasmine Mouttaki of Morroco last Sunday (early Monday in Manila).
On Thursday, a company announced that a condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City worth P24 million will be given to the Filipino athlete who can bring home a gold medal in the ongoing Olympics.
Read: P24-million BGC condo awaits Filipino gold medalist at Paris Olympics
— The Summit Express
