“I believe that she (Diaz) has a strong opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal since most of her opponents [have been] disqualified,” the ex-POC chief told The Manila Times on Friday in a phone interview. Suspended from the Tokyo Games due to doping violations were Diaz’s Olympic heavyweight rivals from Russia, Malaysia and Thailand. Despite the postponement of tournaments and the Tokyo Olympics, she continuously trains in Malaysia. “Marcial has the biggest chance (of winning Olympic gold) kung hindi niya pababayaan. He gave flyweight boxer Irish Magno ‒ the fourth athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Games ‒ a 65 to 70 percent chance of bringing home the Philippines’ first Olympic gold.

Source: Manila Times May 08, 2020 14:03 UTC