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.
