Villegas realizes older brother’s wish

Aira Villegas didn’t just win an Olympic medal following her successful stint in the Paris Summer Games last week.

She also realized the lifelong dream of her older brother, Rominick.

A former amateur boxer, Rominick was overflowing with pride as he waits for the arrival of Villegas and other Filipino athletes who played key roles in the country’s best ever finish in its 100 years of participation in the Summer Games.

He said he saw Villegas’ courage early on when she was still joining small-town boxing events in Tacloban City.

“I watched Aira back then play boxing and I noticed that she was brave. She would join fiestas and national competitions until ABAP (Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines) noticed her in 2012,” the elder Villegas said.

“All her sacrifices to get to the Olympics finally paid off as she was able to take home a bronze medal.”

True enough, Villegas put on a show in the biggest and most prestigious event in the world.

Despite seeing action in her first Olympics stint, she refused to give up as she defeated home bet Wassila Lkhadiri to advance to the semifinals and secure the bronze medal of the women’s 50-kilogram class.

Although she fell prey to third seed Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey, it hardly mattered as she landed on the medal podium, realizing the dream of his older brother who served as her trainer and coach during the early days of her career.

Rominick said he could have been a member of the national squad if not for a broken hand that sidelined him in 2012.

But instead of getting depressed, Rominick focused his sights on making his younger sister better until she made it to the national squad.

“We focused on training after the broken hand. Aira was one of the products of my training back then,” the elder Villegas said.

“I want to personally see the medal and hug Aira to thank her for her efforts.”

After all, her victory is also his victory.