- Charlie Senior has paid tribute to his grandfather
- The Australian missed his grandfather Dennis’ funeral
- He won his fight at the Olympics on Wednesday
Australian boxer Charlie Senior has paid an emotional tribute to his grandfather following his victory at the Olympic Games.
Senior, 22, wore a mouthguard engraved with his grandfather Dennis’ name as he claimed a split-decision victory over Vasile Usturoi in Paris.
The Australian missed Dennis’ funeral after he lost his battle with cancer just before Olympic qualifying last December, and Senior was unable to travel to England, his country of birth, to pay his respects.
“Unfortunately I was not able to attend the funeral or see him (before he passed away),” Senior told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“That was my contribution to him. My mom, my dad and my little sister are here. My grandmother, Dennis’s wife, is here and she traveled from England. She is supporting me and that is a very important thing.”
Senior said he had no regrets about missing Dennis’ funeral and insisted his sacrifices would pay off if he could fulfil his Olympic dream.
Charlie Senior paid an emotional tribute to his late grandfather
Australian Senior Olympic boxer missed his grandfather’s funeral to pursue his Paris dream
“You can’t be there for everything. I’ve missed a lot of things, but I would do it again. I miss things for the right reasons.”
Senior, who was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, before moving to Perth at the age of two, says the memory of his grandfather will motivate him as he competes in the men’s 57kg division in Paris.
“I’m sure I’m making him proud,” Senior said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Australia’s boxing captain Caitlin Parker put in an impressive performance to advance in the women’s 75kg division.