Despite falling just short of gold, Olympian Aira Villegas hopes her latest silver medal performance signals progress toward her ultimate goal of winning the SEA Games gold soon.
It wasn’t the golden finish she hoped for, but Aira Villegas' latest SEA Games campaign marked another meaningful step toward a long-awaited breakthrough.
The Filipina boxer settled for silver at the 2025 edition in Thailand. But rather than dwell on what slipped away, Villegas chose to focus on progress — a steady climb she believes will eventually lead to gold.
“Hindi natatapos doon lahat. First SEA Games, bronze, and second SEA Games, silver naman. So step-by-step and it’s not the end,” she told Cignal’s Belle Gergorio following her medal finish.
Villegas bowed to hometown favorite Raksat Chuthamat of Thailand in the women’s -48 kg final top open in what would be the first of four Philippine gold medal bouts in boxing.
[ALSO READ: Olympian Aira Villegas settles for silver in SEA Games women’s 48kg boxing]
All five judges scored the contest in favor of the Thai boxer, with scorecards reading 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
"Hopefully, soon"
Coming just 16 months after her bronze medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Tacloban City pride admitted there remains room for growth.
Still, her outlook remained hopeful, grounded in the belief that her moment will come in time.
“Hindi ko man po nakuha ’yung ginto, nakapahuwi naman po tayo ng medalyo. Hopefully, soon we get that gold,” she said.
Questions surrounding officiating also surfaced during the tournament earlier.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ricky Vargas described Thailand’s showing at the 33rd SEA Games as “unprecedented,” noting that all but one gold medal match featured a home bet.
[ALSO READ: SEA Games: ABAP chief Ricky Vargas asks fairness as 3-of-4 PH boxers face Thais in finals]
For Villegas, however, the focus remains inward.
“Para sa akin, ang control ko lang is ’yung laro ko. ’Yung sa mga judges is out of my control, kaya di ko nararamdaman ’yung pressure. Ako bahala sa loob ng ring, and si God na ang bahala sa desisyon kung ibibigay man niya ’yung gold o hindi,” she said.
Three more Philippine bets—Eumir Marcial, Jay Brian Baricuatro, and Flint Jara—are next in line to vie for gold in the latter part of the competition.
[ALSO READ: SEA GAMES LIVESTREAM: Aira Villegas, Eumir Marcial fight for gold | Boxing Finals]
(With reports from Belle Gregorio/Cignal)
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.