Before Paris, Aira Villegas' best international finish was when she won the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Busto Arsizio in Italy.
Prior to that, she won a bronze medal at the SEA Games.
She established herself in the amateur boxing scene but unlike Nesthy Petecio, she hasn't found luck in some of her battles.
So from SEA Games bronze, to Olympic bronze... that's a big leap.
I think looking at the scorecards, you'd think that Buse Naz Cakiroglu's win was a walk in the park.
It's not.
Actually, the points could have been closer.
I know the Turkish boxer should have won, based on how she played her game, but round winners get ten points and the judges have a discretion to award the round loser a 9, 8, or 7.
I don't know how the standing eight-count affected Villegas, but the Slovakian judge gave her an 8. In the third round, the Argentinian judge also scored her an 8.
And in the second round, I get that Villegas didn't really have enough power on the punch that landed on Cakiroglu's face, but that could have been a knockdown because it connected.
Again, I know Cakiroglu was the better fighter of the match, but this is not a 5-0, 150 to 137 thing that is seen in the scorecards.
Up until the end, Villegas fought like hell. When she knew the first round was not in her favor and her corner asked for her to strengthen her defense, she did just that and more. Yes, Cakiroglu stood her ground and forced Aira to commit to her traps, but there were instances in which the Turkish boxer was rocked.
That standing eight count isn't even that threatening if you think about it. Aira stopped and composed herself and then went to deliver her combinations. She never had the "happy to be here" vibes when she was dealing with her opponent. Yes, she's happy to have a sure bronze, but she made sure her opponent got every bit of energy that she had.
In the end, Villegas was smiling and so appreciative of what she got. At 29, this could probably be her last Olympics. If she does make it back, she's going to have the reputation of a medal winner.
Nonetheless, her win places the Philippines at the 22nd spot, with a Nesthy Petecio gold medal and perhaps a medal from weightlifting and golf a chance for the country to crack the Top 20.