Eumir Marcial has found a partner for his Olympic campaign.
Chooks-to-Go has pledged to support Marcial’s journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Friday afternoon.
For Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas, he made sure to reach out and help the middleweight since he knows the plight of athletes that come from Mindanao all too well.
“As a Mindanoan myself, I feel the struggles of our athletes in that region. We at Chooks-to-Go cannot turn a blind eye on them when they ask for help,” said Mascariñas, a native of Butuan, about the Zamboanga-raised pugilist.
“Eumir is a world-class athlete, and we believe that he has what it takes to end the country’s gold medal drought in the Olympics.”
Marcial, 25, qualified for the Summer Games back in March of last year after topping the middleweight division of the 2020 Asia and Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.
Since then, Marcial also turned pro. He trained in the United States in preparation for the quadrennial meet.
“Siyempre, napre-pressure po ako. Pero iniisip ko na lang ‘yung pressure nandiyan lang lagi ‘yan. Gagamitin ko ‘yun bilang lakas ko,” said Marcial.
“Inspirasyon ko hindi lang pamilya ko, kung hindi ang buong bansa. Ang daming nagtitiwala sa akin ngayon kaya lalo akong lumalakas ngayon.”
Marcial feels grateful for the support that Chooks-to-Go will give him as it is an added boost from the support he has been getting from the federation and its backers. He said that it will help him focus more on the task at hand — ending the country’s gold medal drought in the Olympics.
“Sobrang masaya ako ngayon dahil nandito ‘yung Chooks-to-Go na grabe ‘yung tiwala sa akin. ‘Yung Chooks-to-Go ay buong puso na kumausap sa akin. Nung nakausap ko si Boss Ronald, lalo akong na-inspire sa mga laban ko kasi tagos sa puso ‘yung sinabi niya sa akin,” he said.
Marcial joins the likes of basketball’s Kai Sotto, Kobe Paras, Kiefer Ravena, Gabe Norwood, and Paul Desiderio as ambassadors of the brand. Also part of Chooks-to-Go’s stable are triathlon’s Nikko Huelgas and the Manila Chooks TM team that competes in the FIBA 3×3 pro circuit.
Chooks-to-Go is also supporting regional pro leagues Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and National Basketball League-Pilipinas; as well as semi-pro league Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
Marcial is heading for Dubai on Saturday for the Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships. And he plans to repay the trust given to him by Chooks-to-Go by giving glory to the country come the Games.
“Kay Boss Ronald, maraming maraming salamat po sa suporta at pagtiwala na makukuha ko yung gold sa Olympics. Maraming salamat sa suporta na binibigay niyo na suporta sa mga atleta na lumalaban para sa bayan.”
