Samoan boxer Ato Leau Plodzicki-Faoagali after winning a gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Photo: photosport
After fighting his way to the Paris Games and giving himself a shot at an Olympic medal, Samoa's Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali said the death of his coach had left him struggling mentally.
Coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito died on Friday while at the Olympic Village, ahead of Plodzicki-Faoagali's heavyweight bout against Victor Schelstraete of Belgium.
While the 25-year-old did receive some help from Papua New Guinea's boxing coach Peter Morrison, he was beaten handily by Schelstraete, who left the Samoan bleeding from the cheek.
"I was thinking about pulling out ... it's been hard," Pacific Games champion Plodzicki-Faoagali said.
"It's been hard to stay strong. I've been struggling mentally the past few days. I thought I was going to win a medal for sure, but it's been really hard mentally. I don't care about the medal right now.
"Even through these hard times, I appreciate everyone. I'm going to come back stronger and chase my dreams."
Boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito. Photo: International Boxing Association
Schelstraete, who spoke to Plodzicki-Faoagali before and after the fight and held up his opponent's arm in the ring, said the Samoan had displayed great spirit just by showing up.
"Big respect to him. He's got a big heart. He honoured his coach by fighting," Schelstraete said.
"These coaches, they're very selfless. They put in all their work for us to get here, and for him to not be here to experience that moment, it's very sad."
Asked if it was hard to fight in the bout, Schelstraete said: "I had to put that aside. Because I felt genuinely sorry for him. But you have to put the emotions aside."
- Reuters
