If you’re watching the Olympics like every other person in the world right now, you’re probably aware that Filipino athletes are absolutely killing it. Following Hidilyn Diaz’s historic gold medal triumph and Nesthy Petecio’s silver medal win, two more boxers have secured podium finishes for the country.
One of these pugs making the country proud is Eumir Marcial. On August 5, Marcial bowed to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the semi-finals match for the men’s boxing middleweight division, bagging him and the country a bronze medal. Here are some fast facts you should know about the Olympian:
- He comes from a family of boxers. It looks like boxing is in Marcial’s blood. As per Esquiremag.ph, his cousin was on the national team in 2006 and his father Eulalio coached young boxers in Zamboanga.
- He’s following the footsteps of another famous boxer. Marcial went pro amid the pandemic. He signed up under MP Promotions, which was founded by boxing great Manny Pacquiao. He even trains under the legendary coach Freddie Roach.
- This isn’t the first time he tried to qualify for the Olympics. Marcial’s punching his way through the boxing scene since 2011. He even represented the country in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 SEA Games. He failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but it looked like his resilience had paid off.
- Marcial had to rigorously campaign for funding for his Olympic bid. His journey to the 2020 Olympics was anything but easy. Back in May, the amateur boxer was heavily criticized for voicing out the lack of support for top athletes. According to Interaksyon.com, the Olympian decried that the allowance he received from the national government was not enough to cover for his expenses in the United States.
It goes without saying that Marcial has made the country proud with his powerful punches. He’s given Filipinos around the world much needed hope amid these challenging times.
