Marcial thankful for support from countrymen

DESPITE not being able to bring home the gold medal from China, Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial held his head high and offered his Asian Games silver medal to his countrymen.

Marcial, who bagged the bronze in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said he would have not been able to reach this far in Hangzhou without the overwhelming support of the Filipino fans.

Marcial lost his gold medal match and settled for second place in the Asiad men’s 80kg class following his unanimous decision defeat to Chinese Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan in the final at the Hangzhou Gymnasium on Thursday evening.

“Thank you Lord,” Marcial began his Facebook post on Thursday night.

STILL A WINNER Eumir Marcial celebrates after winning against Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon in the men’s 71-80kg semifinal boxing match during the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. PHOTO BY ISHARA KODIKARA/AFP 

“While it was not the outcome we expected and the medal we hoped to bring home, I am beyond happy and overwhelmingly proud for this amazing feat. This victory would have not been possible without all the outpouring of support from all the Filipino fans. Thank you for continuously believing in me and I hope you can keep the support coming as we rally towards the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.”

Many Filipino boxing fans online, indeed, expressed their disapproval of the judges decision, believing that Marcial did enough to win the three-round bout or at least lose via split decision.

Marcial, who turns 28 years old on the 29th, said he understands why a lot of fans felt that it was a rigged decision in favor of the home bet but to him, he also felt like he seized the gold because of the fan adulation he’s gotten.

“I understand that many of you felt disappointed with how the decision ruled not in favor of us, but your support makes me feel that I already won the gold. There’s always a learning opportunity in every match. Nevertheless, I send my congratulations to China,” he said.

The gold medal bout was nip and tuck with neither fighter backing down. In fact, both Marcial and the Chinese raised their hands after the match was over.

The match was tied going into the third and final round, which the five judges eventually awarded to the Chinese boxer for the gold.

The silver, though, was an upgrade to the bronze medal Marcial won in the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia as a middleweight.

Marcial also ended up as the lone medal winner out of the nine-man boxing team in Hangzhou.

Marcial, however, is not just coming home with a silver medal because he also booked a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics by virtue of reaching the final round of the Asian Games.

He is the fourth Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Olympics after pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.