Villegas: I did my best

Aira Villegas has nothing to be ashamed of despite her loss to Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey via unanimous decision in the women’s 50-kilogram class at the Paris Olympics early Wednesday at the Roland Garros Stadium.

Villegas acknowledged that her Turkish opponent, a silver medalist from the previous Summer Games, was well-prepared, allowing her to dictate the tempo from start to finish.

Cakiroglu asserted her dominance early on, landing a decisive right straight that prompted referee Wade Peterson of Canada to give the pride of Tacloban a standing eight-count.

Despite Villegas’s efforts to recover, Cakiroglu maintained her dominance the rest of the way to advance to the championship match against 19th Asian Games champion Wu Yu of China.

“Hindi po ako super disappointed kasi ginawa ko naman ang best ko,” Villegas said, who pulled off a string of victories despite seeing action in the Olympics for the first time.

“Talagang napag-aralan nya ako at aminado ako na magaling sya talaga.”

She apologized for letting the country down but remains committed to preparing for her redemption bid in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games next year and the 20th Asian Games in 2026.

“Sa lahat po ng Pilipino na, again, napuyat, I’m sorry,” she said, saying that she’s offering her bronze medal to those who believe in her. “Nakapag-uwi po ako ng medalya, sana po proud pa rin po kayo sa akin.”