Having one elite athlete capable of competing internationally is one thing – “great,” according to the owner/coach of a St. Albert gym. Having two that made it to the recent Commonwealth Games in Scotland, however, is “just unbelievable” for Matt Marshall and his Marshall Boxing Club. And beyond that, both Joshua Ofori and Amber-Jane Wall brought hardware back for Canada: bronze medals for each. “For these two to be champions, to be on Team Canada, and now they’re fighting and medalling at huge international tournaments, they’ve exceeded my expectations,” Marshall told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday. The 22-year-old Ofori, who was fighting in the light-heavyweight class (80 kg), lost in a unanimous decision in the category’s semifinal to Ankush Panghal of India, the eventual gold medallist. He called the Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport spectacle featuring athletes from 36 countries held every four years, “a good experience.” “There were a lot of challenges, good countries and good fighters out there,” said Ofori, who has a record of 62-18 with 12 knockouts and is the top-ranked Canadian in his weight class and 25th in the world. The 29-year-old Wall recounts her 12-year journey through boxing, starting out as a youth from a disadvantaged background looking for a purpose. After taking three years away from the sport, the Indigenous athlete came back, “with the intent of getting on the national team and representing Canada.” “I felt if I commit, I’m consistent, stay disciplined and sacrifice what I need to sacrifice, that it will happen,” Wall told CTV News Edmonton. “And sure enough, it did.” Which, of course, has taken her all the way to a No. 2 ranking nationally and No. 58 globally in the 51-kg (flyweight) class. And a Commonwealth Games medal. But first, back to training and working on their craft. “As boxers, we all make mistakes, but they’re only exposed more at a higher level, so you can’t really get away with as much,” Wall said. “It’s just exciting to be able to bring some of these things that I’ve learned in my fights, come back, train, go back to the drawing board and fine-tune everything for the next competition. Other fights are coming up, including October’s continental championships in Mexico for Wall, but the next edition of the Summer Olympics is on the horizon – a long-term goal for both. “When I first joined the gym, I told my coach I wanted to be an Olympian, and not just an Olympian, like have a gold medal and bring it back to my country,” Ofori said. “That’s been the journey. We’ve been at it ever since.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
