YAFAI Galal

Olympic qualifying results
He secured a spot for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo through his performances at the 2020 European Olympic Qualification Tournament in London, England. (espn.com, 09 Mar 2020; bbc.co.uk, 16 Mar 2020; teamgb.com, 19 Jun 2020)

General
MOVE TO FLYWEIGHT
He moved up to the flyweight category in 2019 after the light flyweight category that he previously competed in was dropped from the 2020 Olympic programme in order to make way for more women's categories. "At first I was panicking. I was thinking what I am going to do, I'm tiny [for the] 52kg [flyweight category], I see Kyle [Williams] and I'm tiny compared to him. But I just had to adjust to it. It wasn't my choice. They are bringing women's weight classes in, and we can't complain, really. It's just boxing, I have to just adjust and go with it. I think it's a blessing in disguise really, I feel better in 52. I didn't have to do much different [in training]. I throw a few more weights around. I can eat a lot more, and I can eat the night before the tournament, so it's great for me." (SecondsOut's YouTube channel, 27 Aug 2019)

RIO EXPERIENCE HELPS TOKYO
He competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro having quit his job at a car factory in Solihull, England that year and trained for the Games for only six months. He was eliminated at the 2016 Games in the round of 16 by Cuban boxer Joahnys Argilagos, and believes his experiences in Rio will help his 2020 Olympic campaign. "I was in awe of qualifying for the Olympics in 2016 - I was working in the Land Rover factory and then all of a sudden I was surrounded by all these stars. It was the pinnacle of sport, but I'm quite laid back so I handled it quite well and I really enjoyed the experience. Getting the opportunity to do that before Tokyo means I know how to deal with it and I know what to expect now, whereas some people may perhaps be a bit more flustered by it." (SecondsOut's YouTube channel, 27 Aug 2019; Boxing Social YouTube channel, 30 Nov 2020; teamgb.com, 19 Jun 2020; sportsgazette.co.uk, 29 Jun 2020)

TURNING PRO
He first considered turning pro after competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and again after the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I wanted to be a professional after Tokyo, but I had a feeling that the Olympics were going to be postponed. At that time [2020] it was really bad what was going on around the world. So it would have been crazy if I thought the Games would go ahead. I was open to thinking about the options, but I did not want to give away my Olympic place either, because I worked four years for it. It would have been better if it was this year [2020] that I turn pro, but what can I do? I just have to wait for another year. I started [boxing] late, I had my first fight at 18. Most people have their first fight at 15 or 16 so I was catching up. I got on the [Great Britain] squad at 22, and I qualified for the [2016] Olympics six months after I made the squad, so I caught up pretty well. I could have gone pro after the last Olympics [2016], but I decided that I needed more experience. I spoke to my brothers, and I could have gone pro but I chose to stay on and hopefully it will pay off. Some people say [27 or 28] is too old [to turn pro] but I still feel like an 18-year-old. If I can win a medal at these Olympics [2020] it will put me in good stead for when I go pro." (SecondsOut's YouTube channel, 27 Aug 2019; Boxing Social YouTube channel, 30 Nov 2020; teamgb.com, 19 Jun 2020; sportsgazette.co.uk, 29 Jun 2020)

FAMOUS FIGHTING FAMILY
He comes from a famous fighting family, with brothers Khalid [Kal] and Gamal both professional boxers. In 2019 he said he still learns things from his brothers, and hopes he may one day become the most decorated of the three. "Whenever I'm at home we train together. It's good to watch Kal and Gamal train, obviously Kal is world champion [2019], so it's good to pick up things from them. I've always picked up things from them growing up, and I still pick up things from them now. There's not much competition [between us]. Whenever Kal does well, it looks great on me, and whenever I win a medal it looks good on them. Any time