Tokyo 2020: emotional Eumir Felix Marcial dedicates Olympic berth to his father after Filipino star fulfils a lifelong dream
- The 24-year-old was trained by his father Eulalio in Zamboanga and was determined to make amends for his failure to qualify for Rio in 2016
- The three-time SEA Games champion beat Mongolia’s Byamba-Erden Otgonbaatar in the last eight to reach guarantee an Olympic place
A tearful Eumir Felix Marcial made an emotional dedication to his father Eulalio after fulfilling a lifelong dream by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.
The 24-year-old middleweight, who suffered qualifying heartbreak before the 2016 Rio Games, defeated Mongolia’s Byamba-Erden Otgonbaatar after the referee stopped the fight in the third round of their Asian Oceania Olympic qualifying quarter-final bout in Amman, Jordan on Sunday night.
His presence in the semi-final assures him a place in the 2020 Olympic Games, where the top seed in the qualifier remains among the favourites for a medal after his silver at the world championships last year.
“I’m very happy because, four years ago I didn’t qualify,” Marcial told the Olympic Channel. “All of this I dedicate to my father because he worked hard for me, trained me hard. He wanted me to take part in the Olympics.
“I want to say thank you to all Filipinos, my brother and sister, those who are praying for my, thank you so much. To my girlfriend, who is very supportive, to my father, to my family.
“For four years I trained hard for this [moment] to qualify for the Olympics, so I knew I had to do my best and then God will do the rest.”
Marcial had been trained by his father while growing up in Zamboanga, Philippines. The boxing trainer also groomed the fighter’s cousin, Anthony “Rocky” Marcial – a former World Boxing Organisation Oriental super-featherweight champion.
Although Marcial still has a semi-final to think about, his mind is already racing ahead to the Olympics and the chance to win gold for his country.
“I want to win gold, I want to get the gold,” he said. “I will train hard. I have a few months to train hard an do my best to get the gold. I want to give gold in the Olympics to my father. That’s my gift to him.”
Marcial emerged as a potential Olympic champion after reaching the final of the world championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia last year. He lost the bout to home boxer Gleb Bakshi but his performances marked him out as a fighter to watch in the future.
The Filipino three-time SEA Games champion had the upper hand over Otgonbaatar for most of his quarter-final and went after his opponent in the third round before the referee stopped the fight.
The Philippines have sent a strong squad to the qualifiers in Jordan with several boxers hoping to earn places at the Olympics.
Marcial is among a number of Filipino athletes on the medal hunt in Tokyo, along with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the Olympic 53kg silver medallist in Rio, and gymnast Carlos Yulo.
The 20-year-old Yulo won gold at the 2019 world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in the floor exercise, after claiming a bronze at the 2018 edition in Doha, Qatar.
