PARIS (Via PLDT Home) – Filipina boxer Aira Villegas advanced to the Round of 16 in the women’s 50-kg boxing tournament yesterday.
Villegas triumphed over her Moroccan rival, Yasmine Mouttaki, via unanimous decision – a victory that would mean the Filipina athlete needs only two more wins to get an assured bronze medal.
As this developed, a daunting challenge awaits the Philippines’ Joanie Delgaco when she returns today (Tuesday) to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium for the biggest race of her rowing career in the quarterfinals of the women’s single sculls.
Also plunging into action are Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial as they aim to surpass their previous Olympic achievements, as well as judoka Kiyomi Watanabe against China’s Tang Jing at in a Round of 32 63-kg elimination round battle at 10 a.m. (4 p.m. Philippine time), and swimmer Kayla Sanchez in the women’s 100m freestyle heats at 11 a.m. (5 p.m. Philippine time).
Drawn into a heat with the reigning Olympic champion and other formidable European competitors, Delgaco is the underdog in the race for a semifinal spot.
Despite being one of only four Asian rowers to reach the quarterfinals, the 26-year-old Iriga native is aiming to exceed expectations and crack the top 20 overall.
Reaching the semifinals would automatically place her in the top 12, a significant achievement that would even eclipse the feat of Filipino rower Cris Nievarez, who placed 23rd overall in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
However, her previous times of 7:55.00 and 7:56.26 highlight the gap she needs to close to compete with the world’s elite.
In her quarterfinals heat alone are Tokyo gold medalist Emma Twigg from New Zealand, former under-23 world champion Katharina Jansen of Switzerland, Virginia Diaz of Spain, Diana Dymchenko of Azerbaijan and Jovana Arsic of Serbia.
Twigg, also a former world champion, four-time silver winner and three-bronze holder, had a remarkable 7:13.97 clocking in taking top podium finish in Tokyo.
And the rest clocked better than Delgaco in the previous races here.
The other Asians vying in the quarterfinals are Iranian Fatemeh Mojallaltopraghghale, Vietnamese Thi Hue Pham and Uzbek Anna Prakaten.
For her part, Petecio, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, faces India’s Jaismine Lamboria in the women’s 57kg Round of 32 at 5:54 p.m. (11:54 p.m. Philippine time). Lamboria, a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, secured her Olympic spot after a series of impressive victories.
Marcial, the Tokyo bronze medalist, received a first-round bye before facing Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in the Round of 16 at 9:04 p.m. in Paris (July 31, 3:04 a.m. Philippine time).
