Bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Aira Villegas, receives her award and cash incentive from the Senate during the plenary session in Pasay City on August 19, 2024. Mark Demayo, Senate Pool

MANILA — Filipina boxer Aira Villegas battled not just her opponents but also a bevy of injuries on her way to winning a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this month.

The secretary-general of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) revealed during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum that Villegas was dealing with issues in her knee, foot, and shoulder during the build-up to the Summer Games.

“Ang dami (injuries), may shoulder tendinopathy, mild ACL sprain, compartment syndrome sa left foot,” said ABAP sec-gen Marcus Manalo, noting that the 29-year-old boxer could not step foot in the ring with just a month left before the biggest competition of her life.

“Unang sabak niya sa sparring nandun na kami sa France (Metz training camp). And then yung actual sparring niya andun na kami sa Germany, two weeks na lang before the Olympics. Yun na yung actual sparring against some of the opponents na nakaharap niya rin dun (Paris),” he explained.

Daily rehab and help from the ABAP support staff ultimately allowed Villegas to exceed expectations in her first stint in the Olympics.

“Big competition na ito so ang focus ko doon is to get a medal,” said Villegas, who won her first two bouts against Yasmine Moutaqui (Morocco) and Roumaysa Boualam (Algeria), the same boxer she sparred in Germany while still recovering from her injuries, to set up a quarterfinal clash with home bet Wassila Lkhadiri.

A pep talk from her coach, Reynaldo Galido, ahead of the semifinal match fueled Villegas into a sure bronze.

“Sabi ko sa kanya, itong laban natin mabigat ito, hometown bet ang kalaban natin. Pero sabi ko huwag mong isipin yan, huwag mong isipin yung crowd. Kasi itong laban na ito ang makakapag-pabago sa buhay mo. Isipin mo yung mga magulang mo, mga kapatid mo,” said Galido.

Villegas edged the French boxer, 3-2, in a thrilling encounter before bowing to a more-experienced foe in the semis, Buse Naz Cakuroglu of Turkey.

While that ended her shot at winning a gold medal, it only made Villegas hungrier for more success in the future.

“Aware akong bronze medalist ako, pero hindi ko pa rin siya maramdaman kasi yung utak ko and yung feeling ko, hindi ko pa nakukuha yung gold, so kailangan kong abutin pa yung goal ko,” said Villegas. “Grateful pa rin ako sa lahat ng blessings, pero kailangan ko pa ring mag-trabaho para makamit ang goal ko.”