Olympic heartbreak: The Samoan boxer who lost his coach two days before his event

Samoan boxer, Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, has been left heartbroken following the sudden death of his coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito just days before his first-round Olympic bout against Belgium's Victor Schelstraete.

Plodzicki-Faoagali, whose mother died during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, received news of his coach’s passing just before the Opening Ceremony began on Friday, July 26th.

Samoan boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito passed away in the Olympic village, per a statement by the International Boxing Association.

Image credit: Lionel Elika Fatupaito Facebook

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The IBA’s statement said, “We at the IBA extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Lionel Elika Fatupaito,” praising the Samoan for his, “dedication and passion for the sport.”

Fatupaito’s death has been put down to natural causes per the International Olympic Committee, with The Daily Mail claiming his cause of death was “cardiac arrest”.

Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali paid tribute to his coach on Instagram, writing, “He was a kind and generous coach, not only with his time, material things, but also his knowledge,” in a touching tribute.

Plodzicki-Faoagali, a two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist, was left without a coach before his first-round bout, with his father, and Papua New Guinea’s boxing coach filling in, per The Daily Mail.

The Samoan boxer again took to Instagram to tell fans, “I have no excuses. I fought the good fight and I fought with a heavy heart.”

Despite his fill-in coaches and emotion-filled battling, Plodzicki-Faoagali was handedly beaten by Belgian boxer Victor Schelstraete. He told reporters after the bout, “I was thinking about pulling out ... it's been hard. It's been hard to stay strong. I've been struggling mentally the past few days,” per RNZ.

Plodzicki-Faoagali continued, “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.”

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