Olympics: Breaking down how Villegas guaranteed a medal finish

Photo courtesy of: AP

Aira Villegas heard the boos loud and clear as she walked to the ring for her third bout of the Paris Olympics. Her opponent, after all, was a well-loved sergeant in the French army.

Several minutes later, Villegas’ ears picked up another sound that drowned out all others—the announcement of her name as the victor of a thrilling bout.

In a fight that the Olympic commentators dubbed to be one of the closest thus far, Villegas secured a 3-2 split decision over France’s Wassila Lkhadiri to advance to the semifinals of the light flyweight tournament.

The sensational win guarantees Villegas of a medal finish—something that three of her teammates can no longer look forward to.

“Inaalay ko din ito sa mga kasamahan ko, lalo na kay Eumir at kay Carlo kanina,” an emotional Villegas told One Sports, referring to the early exits of Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, and Hergie Bacyadan in their respective tournaments. “Nalungkot ako…sabi ko, kailangan ko siyang gawing motivation para ibawi ‘yung mga kasamahan ko.”

Villegas’ opponent, of course, had her own medal aspirations in mind.

Lkhadiri, a five-time French champion across three weight classes, immediately displayed her hand speed and stirring combinations in Round 1. Villegas, meanwhile, moved quickly on her back foot to prevent Lkhadiri from developing any rhythm. Her defensive prowess, coupled with measured aggression throughout that round, earned her a 3-2 split on the judges’ scorecards.

Villegas became increasingly comfortable in Round 2, leading with her right jab to prevent Lkhadiri from gaining a spatial advantage in the ring. Lkhadiri, however, heeded her corner’s advice and connected better with her right. The slightly improved efficiency earned the French soldier a 3-2 split for the round.

With the overall scores tied and a bronze medal assurance in the balance, Villegas and Lkhadiri figured in yet another close skirmish in the final three minutes. Lkhadiri tagged Villegas on the chin multiple times in the last round, but to her credit, Villegas weathered the storm and landed one-two combinations of her own. At times when Lkhadiri covered up high, Villegas shifted her target and connected on solid body shots.

Lkhadiri ended up prevailing in the third round on yet another 3-2 split. But, in a plot twist worthy of a French novel, the cumulative scores from all three rounds ultimately went her opponent’s way. 

While Lkhadiri secured 30-27 and 29-28 tallies from Iran’s Babak Bordbar Haghighi and Indonesia’s Muhammad Pohan, respectively, Villegas got an overall score of 29-28 from every other judge to claim the split decision.

Realizing the outcome of her most grueling contest yet, the Pinay boxer dropped to her knees, slammed the mat, and yelled in euphoria. A chorus of boos emanated from the French faithful, but Villegas—assured of a medal on their home soil—didn’t seem to mind.

Apparently, she used a simple strategy to ward off all the noise.

“Positive self-talk,” Villegas revealed afterwards. “Naririnig po ‘yun ni coach. Sabi ko, akin ‘to. Akin ‘to!”