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Tacloban proud as Aira Villegas secures Olympic bronze

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<p>Despite falling short of Olympic gold medal, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/8/7/pamilya-ni-aira-villegas-proud-sa-nakuha-niyang-bronze-medal-sa-olympics-952">the family of Aira Villegas</a> in Tacloban City is beaming with pride and joy after the Olympic boxer got the bronze medal for Women’s 50 kilogram Boxing.</p><p>Because of his excitement, Aira’s father, Bonifacio was up by 3AM to watch his daughter’s 4AM match.</p><p>Although Aira failed to bring home the most coveted gold medal, she made her father proud by securing a bronze medal for her first Olympic stint.</p><p>“She won a bronze. At she will not come home empty-handed”, Bonifacio said emphasizing that the bronze medal is not a small feat.</p><p>(Nakakuan hiyan bronse, mayda ngani nauli nga zero.)</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/8/6/aira-villegas-takes-bronze-after-semis-loss-to-turkish-foe-434">READ:Aira Villegas takes bronze after semis loss to Turkish foe</a></div><p>Her siblings Mariel and Jhundel who also trained with her during their younger years, also shared their pride. “Even though she didn’t get the gold, she’s still a gold to us,” said her elder sister, Mariel.</p><p>(Kahit hindi niya nasungkit ang ginto, para sa amin, siya pa rin ang ginto namin.)</p><p>The support from Aira’s fellow Taclobanons especially her neighbors is also overwhelming. “I didn’t sleep at all. I made it sure that I watch her game. Even though she did not win, for me, she is still a winner,” said her neighbor in Barangay 6-A in Tacloban City, Kjen del Rio.</p><p>(Hindi ako natulog talaga, pinag-anuhan ko talaga ang laban niya. Kahit hindi siya nanalo para sa akin panalo pa rin siya, at least napatumba niya ang kalaban. Nagkaroon pa rin ng medalya ang Pilipinas. )</p><p>Before her rigorous Olympic training, Aira returned to Tacloban in March, sharing her beginnings in boxing, a sport typically dominated by men.</p><p>“My biggest idol is my brother, Romnick because he’s the one who introduced me to boxing, especially when he won the Leyte Idol and got P50,000,” Aira said in a previous interview, as she shared that her brother was her first boxing coach.</p><p>(Pinaka-idol ko talaga ang kuya ko kasi siya yung nag-ano sa&#x27;kin sa boxing, lalo na nung nag-champion siya sa Leyte Idol, may P50,000.)</p><p>When Typhon Yolanda struck in November 2013, Aira was already part of the Philippine Team. She however had to pause her training to return to Tacloban, especially that her family almost lost everything including her photos which serves as memoirs while she was just starting in boxing.</p><p>She also talked about her family’s struggles when she was young. All these served as her inspiration to persevere and dream big. “My goal is gold. Life was really hard. We experienced having our electricity cut because we could not afford to pay. During Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we just slept. We would also lick salkt. If I don’t do this, nothing will change. I need to help myself and my family.”</p><p>(Yung goal ko is gold. Mahirap lang talaga kami. Na-try kong maputulan ng ilaw. Christmas natulog lang kami, New Year. Magdildil ng asin. Kung hindi ko gagawin &#x27;to walang mangyayari. Kailangan kong tulungan ang sarili ko, yung pamilya ko.)</p><p>Despite missing her dream gold medal, Aira showcased courage and skill, earning admiration and support from the people dear to her and fellow Filipinos, proving that Filipinos can compete on the global arena.</p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/8/6/marcos-jr-congratulates-boxer-aira-villegas-for-bronze-medal-finish-in-paris-olympics-711r">READ: Marcos Jr. congratulates boxer Aira Villegas for bronze medal finish in Paris Olympics</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YwUxlwUMt2c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Despite falling short of Olympic gold medal, the family of Aira Villegas in Tacloban City is beaming with pride and joy after the Olympic boxer got the bronze medal for Women’s 50 kilogram Boxing.</p>

Despite falling short of Olympic gold medal, the family of Aira Villegas in Tacloban City is beaming with pride and joy after the Olympic boxer got the bronze medal for Women’s 50 kilogram Boxing.

Tacloban proud as Aira Villegas secures Olympic bronze

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Tacloban proud as Aira Villegas secures Olympic bronze

ABS-CBN News,

Sharon Evite

Published Aug 07, 2024 06:46 PM PHT

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Aira Villegas

Boxing

Paris Olympics

2024 Olympics

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