The Philippines’ Aira Villegas won bronze in the women’s 50 kg boxing tournament in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Türkiye, who advanced to the gold-medal match by unanimous decision, ended Villegas’ run at the semi-final stage.
Highlights of the match
Villegas was up against a formidable opponent in second-seeded Cakiroglu, who impressed all five judges in the opening round. The Filipina lost the first round by a short margin because she was unable to come close to her opponent, but still had a lot to fight for.
In the second round, Villegas unexpectedly knocked down her opponent, which gave her the much-needed confidence to deliver some powerful blows. Still, it wouldn’t be enough to overcome Cakiroglu or win the second round. Villegas was unable to catch up with her Turkish opponent after an evenly matched third round, where she had to make up points on the scorecard.
Villegas, who made her Olympic debut, took home a bronze medal in spite of the loss. The boxer joined gymnast Carlos Yulo, who took home two gold medals in the artistic gymnastics category, as the Philippines’ third medallist at Paris 2024.
Meanwhile, Cakiroglu, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, advanced to the women’s 50 kg gold medal match. She will compete against Wu Yu of the People’s Republic of China for the opportunity to earn Turkey’s first gold — fourth overall — medal at Paris 2024.
Source: Olympics.com