Medal contenders Eumir Marcial, Carlos Yulo ready for tougher Olympic run

MANILA, Philippines – Olympic boxing medalist Eumir Marcial and gymnastics stalwart Carlos Yulo may have been tipped as strong contenders in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but both know a lot come into play on game day.

That’s why they just try to be as ready as they can, training intensely towards their second Olympics.

“I am much more confident, but it is still dependent on how we prepare, since the result will rely on what kind of performance in training we are doing now,” Marcial said in Filipino via Zoom during a press conference organized by online site Arena Plus, where he was introduced as brand ambassador.

The pride of Zamboanga has been training in the US, picking up new learnings, but noted, “boxing is dependent on judges and referees, so it is already out of our hands.”

Marcial, who copped a bronze medal in the middleweight division of the Tokyo Games, made history along with fellow boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam (silvers) and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (gold) as they brought home the Philippines’ biggest Olympic medal haul in 2021.

Petecio, Paalam, and Marcial also became the first boxers to bring home an Olympic medal since Onyok Velasco’s silver in 1996.

Yulo, fresh off a four-gold medal haul in the 2024 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is also confident of his upcoming Paris foray.

“I’m working on difficulty and execution, and if I do it more consistently and execute it well, I will be a contender for the gold medal,” said Yulo.

“I still feel some jitters because I am polishing new skills, and it may have a big effect on the all-around (score), since there are six apparatuses, and if you just change one routine, it may have a big effect on all the apparatuses,” he added.

“So it is a big help that I practice them in competitions, and super grateful that I am safe until now.”

Yulo will be just one of the many Team Philippines athletes headed for a month-long training camp in Metz, France, just before the Olympics.

According to Gymnastics Association of the Philippines head Cynthia Carrion, Yulo will enjoy quality equipment, as well as a hyperbaric oxygen therapy tank. 

Marcial, meanwhile, has been training in Las Vegas, Nevada, before heading to France for the Olympiad, where he is reintegrating himself to the amateur style.

The 28-year-old Marcial, who turned pro after his Tokyo run, remains unbeaten with a 5-0-0 (5 KO) record. – Rappler.com