BY NICK GIONGCO
To keep ultra-active athletes like him pre-occupied and always on-the-go, Filipino boxer Eumir Felix Marcial is going into growing vegetables like eggplant, bitter gourd (ampalaya) and bottle gourd (upo) in his third-floor home that is undergoing renovation in Imus, Cavite.
Macial, who has earned a spot in the Tokyo Olympics next year, is on the lookout for something else to do as the government extends the lockdown up to April 30 owing to the pandemic.
“Para naman ito sa kabutihan nating lahat,” said Marcial, who topped the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying last month in Amman, Jordan.
Marcial started planting at the start of the lockdown and is glad that the fruits of his labor promise to pay off.
“Tumutubo na nga eh,” said an excited Marcial.
High-profile athletes like Marcial, who is almost always on training mode, are not used to staying indoors unable to perform their normal routine.
“Hindi ka talaga mapakali,” said Marcial. “Madalas naka-upo ako at bigla na lang ako tatayo at maglalakad at uupo ulit at ang sabi ng girlfriend ko nahihilo na daw sa sya sa akin.”
Apparently, Marcial is not content with just doing some boxing training, watching TV and attending to his mini-farm.
The past few days, Marcial is likewise engaging in something a bit queer.
“Gumagawa na rin ako ng tuyo,” he said in a high-pitched voice, looking forward to the day when he will pair his dried, salted fish with a generous serving of fresh greens.
But doing all these things seem to be not enough.
“Nag-iisip na rin akong magpalipad ng saranggola.”
Now, only if his fellow athletes could do the same thing to keep themselves composed and collected.
Indeed, these are extraordinary times.
