Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali stepped into the ring this past week grieving the loss of his longtime coach. After a tough bout at his first Olympic match, the Samoan boxer reflected on his decision to keep fighting.
Coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito, whom Plodzicki-Faoagali met when he was 15, died at the Olympic Village on Friday, according to the International Boxing Association. Two days later, Plodzicki-Faoagali faced Belgium’s Victor Schelstraete in his first bout, resulting in a tough loss that left him bleeding from the cheek.
After the fight, Plodzicki-Faoagali posted a photo of himself on Instagram with a defeated expression and a black eye. In the caption, he reflected on the mental toll of the “tough week” ahead of his Olympic fight. “Samoa, I gave it what I could honestly, it wasn’t my best, but fought my heart out for you!” Plodzicki-Faoagali wrote.
The Pacific Games champion, the only Samoan boxer competing at the Paris Olympics, said despite wanting to pull out of his first Olympic Games, he stayed and fought for his family, for Samoa, and for his coach. “Thinking of you coach, wish you were here in the corner today,” he wrote.
The International Boxing Association shared condolences in a statement and confirmed the death of the Samoan coach ahead of Plodzicki-Faoagali’s fight.
“Lionel’s dedication and passion for the sport have left an indelible mark on the boxing community,” they wrote. “His legacy will continue to inspire future generations. Our thoughts and prayers are with Team Samoa and all those affected by this profound loss.”
The day after Elika Fatupaito’s death, Plodzicki-Faoagali reflected on his coach’s Olympic dreams in a memorial post on Facebook. “You will be sorely missed coach, your dream was to attend an Olympics with me and dad, now you’ve left too early we haven’t had our first fight at the Olympics like we planned!” he wrote.
Papua New Guinea’s boxing coach Peter Morrison stepped in to support Plodzicki-Faoagali during the fight.
After the fight, Schelstraete held up his opponent’s arm in the ring and told Reuters that Plodzicki-Faoagali “honored his coach by fighting.”
Yesterday, Plodzicki-Faoagali said farewell to Paris in a post on Instagram, writing, “That’s it from me, I’m heading back home. Until next time.” Fans flooded the boxer’s comment section with support and pride.
