By Vinci Tamayo || Photo by Dani Anos

Paris Olympics 2024 Bronze Medalist Aira Villegas on August 23 shared words of inspiration for young athletes during an interview by The Science Net, the official English student publication of Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus.

Upon being asked about her advice for aspiring athletes, Villegas shared that they should manage with the resources they were given in order to achieve their goals.

“Sa lahat ng kabataan din talaga, parang hindi mo naman kailangan ng mga bagay na kung ano-ano, parang be grateful for what you have. And then kung anong meron resources ka, ‘yun ang gamitin para makuha ang gusto mo,” the boxer said. 

[To all the youths, you do not really need lots of things. Be grateful for what you have, and then use the resources you have now to achieve what you want.]

She further emphasized that lack of completeness and dissatisfaction are necessary in an athlete’s journey, highlighting its importance in keeping one’s motivation in sports.  

“Sometimes kasi, once you are an athlete and you are able to have everything, mawawala kasi ‘yung drive mo eh. Kasi meron ako nito, meron ako nito, meron akong ganyan. So parang mawawala yung drive mo kasi everything nandiyan eh. So mas okay din talaga minsan may kulang, para sa kulang na ‘yun, ikaw ‘yung pupuna,” Villegas said. 

[Sometimes, once you are an athlete and you are able to have everything, your drive will also be lost because you have everything. So it is like you will lose your motivation since everything you want is right there. So, sometimes it is really okay to lack something, so you can fill whatever it is you are lacking.]

The olympian then urged young athletes to avoid thinking of the income in sports, but rather treat it as a bonus that comes with their achievements.

“For me kasi, hindi ko iniisip ‘yung pera. Iniisip ko kasi, ‘yung sports, para makapag aral ako. And then yung iba po kasi ‘yung isip nila, ‘Yayaman ako sa sports.’ Hindi, once kasi na inisip mo ‘yung money agad, hindi ka tatagal sa sports. Because the truth is, money is evil. Bonus lang ‘yan pag dumating, like me now,” Villegas said. 

[For me, I do not think of the money. My mindset is ‘sports is so I can study.’ However, others have a different mindset like ‘sports will make me rich.’ Once you think of the money right away, you will not last long. Because the truth is, money is evil. It is just a bonus when it comes as a reward, just like me now.] 

Villegas also expressed her wishes for the government to pay more attention to sports as a whole, citing the media’s current focus on the “elite athletes” rather than the aspiring athletes. 

“Now kasi parang nakatutok sa elite athletes. So, I hope tingnan nila (the government) ‘yung mga aspiring athlete kasi diyan naman ako nanggaling eh,” Villegas said. 

[Right now, the attention seems to be focused on the elite athletes only. So, I hope the government looks at the aspiring athletes too since I also started from there.]

Motivations

In the same interview, Villegas talked about her past and how she was inspired to start boxing despite her circumstances.

“I had nothing eh, so nung nagstart ako ng boxing, dati ‘yung uniform, lahat hiram ko lang. But the good thing is ginamit ko siyang motivation,” she said. 

[I had nothing. So when I started boxing, my uniform, everything was borrowed. But the good thing is I used it as motivation.]

When asked about the specific people who encouraged her to pursue boxing, she highlighted the role her family, mainly her brother, played in inspiring her and keeping her motivation. 

“Pinakauna po talaga, my family. Lalo na my brother kasi siya po talaga ‘yung nagturo sakin ng boxing. Kung nakikita ko siya, nasa boxing siya. Kaya niyang mag aral na hindi humihingi ng pera sa magulang ko through boxing. And then may scholarship siya through boxing,” Villegas said. 

[Foremost is my family. Especially my brother because he taught me how to play boxing. Whenever I would see him, he would be boxing. He could go to school without asking for money from our parents through boxing. He also has a scholarship through boxing.]

She also expressed her goal to further her career by winning a gold medal in future competitions. 

“As an olympian, plano ko pa rin talaga makuha ‘yung gold. So this bronze, hindi ko naman sinasabing nakasettle lang ako sa bronze, but my goal talaga in the Olympics is to get that gold,” she said. 

[As an olympian, I still plan to get a gold medal. So this bronze, I am not saying that I’ve settled with it, but my goal in the Olympcs is really to get that gold.] 

Villegas then talked about how fame has not changed her attitude towards life, and that she is grateful for everything she has achieved so far.

“The good thing about me is that I’m still me. Wala paring nagbago, ganon. The fame and everything is alam ko na pansamantala lang. Ako kasi, I always stay low grounded and I look back at where I came from so ganon po ako, parang grateful lang ako for everything,” the olympian said.

[The good thing about me is that I’m still me. Nothing has changed. I know that fame and everything along with it is temporary. I always stay grounded and I look back to where I came from so I am just grateful for everything.]

Despite losing 5-0 to Turkish opponent Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals, Villegas managed to snatch a bronze victory— a historic first for the country in the sport.