Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial has set sights on the 2024 Paris Games to pursue his longtime dream of capturing the gold medal for the Philippines.
Marcial, who already won his first fight in the professional scene last December, said he's not about to close the curtains just yet as far as his Olympic stint is concerned.
"Bigyan lang po ulit ako ng pagkakataon kung may mga Games tulad ng Asian Games or SEA (Southeast Asian Games), na bigyan ako ng pagkakataon mai-represent ang Pilipinas," said the 25-year-old Marcial in an online press conference Sunday, Aug. 8. "Ang laking tulong, laking bagay po sa akin at siyempre ''yong pagpunta sa Tokyo, pag-qualify sa Tokyo.
"Bigyan po ako ng opportunity na makalakahok ay gagawin ko po 'yong best ko. Mag-eensayo po ako nang maayos para maka-qualify at siyempre maabot 'yong pangarap ko na makuha 'yong gold."
READ: Bronze for Marcial
Although it wasn't the best result Marcial had expected, the Zamboanga native boxer said getting the bronze medal still felt like capturing the elusive Olympic gold.
Marcial, who drew a bye heading into the Round of 16 in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, stunned Algeria's Younis Nemouchi in the quarterfinals before yielding to Ukrainian slugger and world No. 1 Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the semifinals match.
This alone motivated him to keep on training for the next three years and vowed to come back stronger, he added.
Marcial, also the 2019 world champion, will be juggling his duty as a boxer in both amateur and pro levels.
He made a good impression in his pro debut on US soil after scoring a unanimous decision win against American Andrew Whitfield.
Marcial and the rest of the national boxing team, composed of silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, and Irish Magno, will return to the country on Monday, Aug. 9, after the closing ceremonies officially concludes the Tokyo Games Sunday evening.