Olympics rookie Villegas offers PH boxing workforce the beginning it wants, as core led by Petecio begins seeing motion
Philippines’ Aira Villegas (in blue) fights in opposition to Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki within the ladies’s 50kg preliminaries spherical of 32 boxing match throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games on the North Paris Enviornment, in Villepinte on July 28, 2024. (Photograph by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)
The core of the crack Philippine boxing delegation plunges into motion within the Paris Olympics on Tuesday with Video games first-timer Aira Villegas getting the workforce off on the best foot with a swashbuckling conquest of a Moroccan foe within the opening spherical of the ladies’s 50-kilogram division.
Villegas scored a 5-0 win over Yasmine Mouttaki at North Paris Enviornment in France on Monday, giving the remainder of the workforce the jumpstart it wants as Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial climb the identical ring trying to higher performances that fell simply in need of the gold medal in Tokyo 2020.
The 28-year-old Villegas, who grew to become emotional after the win, might be clashing with Algerian fighter Roumaysa Boualam, the second-seed, on Friday at 2 a.m.
“I’m simply completely happy as a result of all the assistance that [coach Rey Galido] has given me is lastly bearing fruit,” a sobbing Villegas advised PH journalists in Filipino after her win, praising Galido, who noticed motion within the Athens Video games.
“He continues to push me, even in occasions once I doubt myself,” Villegas, who has been below the tutelage of Galido for the previous six years, mentioned.
“Wala siyang sini-sino (she’s not afraid of anybody),” Galido later mentioned when requested what the important thing to the Villegas win was. Galido is assured that Villegas has an incredible likelihood in opposition to Boualam, a observe mate when the PH workforce was in Metz for its coaching camp, the final cease for pugs of each international locations earlier than making their method to Paris.
“She is aware of her strikes,” Galido mentioned. “It’s a matter of execution when combat day comes.”
Petecio, in the meantime, opens her quest to complete Olympic enterprise that began in Tokyo.
“Walang hinto, hangga’t walang ginto (I gained’t cease till I win gold),” Petecio mentioned on the eve of her match with India’s Jasmine Lamboria within the ladies’s 57-kg opener, echoing her pronouncement in Japan the place she settled for a silver medal.
Marcial, in the meantime, drew a primary spherical bye and can face Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev within the round-of-16 on July 31 at 3:04 a.m. in Manila.Rematch with Lopez
A bronze medalist in Tokyo who already owns a glittering skilled resume, Marcial can wind up dealing with reigning Olympic champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba if he dispatches his Uzbek foe.
And past that, a bevy of formidable foes awaits Marcial, who stays undaunted by the type of opposition he might be dealing with in what he had mentioned could be his final stab at Olympic glory.
“They’ll see,” Marcial mentioned in Filipino, when requested what sort of a battle plan he has for his potential opponents on the way in which to a gold medal, counting No. 1-ranked Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan of China, who conquered the PH wager within the Hangzhou Asian Video games final 12 months.
In the meantime, the trio of Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar stored slim possibilities of making it to the ultimate spherical of inventive gymnastics regardless of spectacular Olympics debuts late Sunday evening at Bercy Enviornment in France.
After three subdivisions, the Filipino-People didn’t make it to the highest 24 of the all-around as Ruivivar and Malabuyo positioned twenty eighth and twenty ninth, respectively. They’d equivalent scores of 51.099, whereas Finnegan positioned thirty third with 50.498 factors.
With two extra subdivisions to go on Monday evening in Manila, solely the highest 24 will advance to the all-around remaining, whereas the highest eight in every of the apparatuses compete for medals. Solely two gymnasts from every nation will advance to the finals.
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Finnegan made a high 10 end within the vault with 13.383 for a reserve spot within the equipment remaining on Saturday. She positioned twenty seventh in flooring train with 12.733 factors, thirty seventh in uneven bars (12.566), and forty third in steadiness beam (11.466). —With stories from Lance D. Agcaoilo, Rommel Fuertes INQ
