This year’s Paris Summer Games will be boxer Eumir Marcial’s last, but not before he leaves a lasting impression.
Aside from Hidilyn Diaz‘s golden breakthrough at the 2020 Summer Games, Eumir Marcial still brought home bronze in a sport that Filipinos traditionally do well in: boxing. Competing in the middleweight division, the 28-year-old Marcial already has an unblemished 5-0 professional record but is making another bid for Olympic glory in Paris.
Unlike his previous Olympic training, Marcial is now rigorously preparing in Las Vegas. “Last Olympics, there were so many restrictions and my access to training was very limited, especially in our country,” he shares. Under the guidance of coach Kay Koroma, who has developed numerous Olympian amateur boxers since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Marcial’s training is a lot more intensive.
After winning multiple professional competitions before clinching his ticket to the French capital, Marcial confidently asserts his clear purpose for joining this time. “Ibigay ko yung best ko pagdating sa Paris kasi ito na yung huling Olympics ko. [I will give my best in Paris because this is my last Olympics]” Marcial says of the upcoming games to be held in July.
Eumir is aware of the rewards that await him should he win an Olympic medal. It’s part of the reason he already turned professional. But for this Zamboanga-born Air Force serviceman, he always had a different reason for bringing his considerable skills to the Olympics. “This dream of becoming a boxer is also the dream of my father for me,” Marcial shares. “It’s for me to get into the national team and compete in the Olympics. Na-fulfill ko yung pangarap ko para kay papa, [I fulfilled my papa’s dream],” Marcial bares.
Having achieved his father’s aspirations, he now turns his attention to pursuing his own dreams by representing the Philippines once more at the Olympics, striving to bring with him the gold that he left in Tokyo. “This time, this is for me, my dreams in bringing the country with me and making you proud,” he shares. “It’s priceless.”
As Eumir Marcial prepares to bid Olympic competition goodbye this year, the decorated boxer wants to go out with a definite bang. “My motto says, ‘the pain of failure is better than the pain of regrets,’” Marcial points out the spirit of trying again.
Along with pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, weightlifter John Ceniza, and our optimistic, ambitious crop of athletes, Marcial will be draped in the red, blue, yellow, and white of the Philippines as he competes in “the City of Lights.” No matter the result, nobody can question the effort and the wringer they put their respective bodies through for one shining moment in the Paris sun.
This month, Vogue Philippines pays tribute to stories of grit, determination, and the pursuit of excellence. Below, meet more of the athletes who continue to shatter the glass ceiling of sports.