Villegas advances to Olympics boxing semis, eyes gold

Filipina boxer Aira Villegas avenged her quarterfinal loss to France's Wassila Lkhadiri from February 2023, securing a split decision win and advancing to the semifinals of the women's 50kg division at the Paris Olympics on Saturday (early Sunday Manila time).

Villegas' victory ensures that the Philippines will achieve multiple medals in consecutive Olympics for the first time in history following Carlos Yulo's gold medal win earlier.

In her emotional post-match interview, Villegas dedicated her win to fellow boxers Eumir Marcial, Hergie Bacyadan, and Carlo Paalam who had previously bowed out of the Games, drawing motivation from their efforts.

Villegas will now face Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals on August 7 (Manila time) as she aims for a gold medal finish. If successful, Villegas is assured of at least a silver medal following Yulo’s earlier victory.