Britain’s first boxing gold medallist, Galal Yafai, did not have an easy life before his rise to glory. Not long ago, he was in charge of organizing rubbish and carrying boxes to and from a factory car, a job which he hated. 

Today he stands as a victor, but it was his journey there that inspires us and gives us hope that we too can one day be a champion. 

The 28-year-old boxer defeated Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in a match that had us at the edge of our seats the whole time. Galal Yafai played his hand perfectly that as he dominated the first to round and calmly completed the last round, everyone in the stadium knew that he was the champion. 

Galal Yafai did admint that his journey there was not easy. Starting of as a rubbish collector and a box carrier, he never had hope or never even thought that his journey would lead him here. 

Yafai said that when his coaches would tell him that he would be an Olympic champion, he would just laugh and say, “ No chance.” Privately, he would tell himself that the coaches were only saying that because they wanted to be nice to him. Turns out, they were right all along. 

While Galal Yafai may have just started his boxing carrer, his family aren’t newcomers to the boxing world. His brother Gamal Yafai, 30, has won European and Commonwealth titles and Kal Yafai, 32, was a long time WBA super-flyweight champion.

After his win, he just ignored questions about his future and instead said that he just wants to enjoy an unhealthy meal and to be reunited with his family in Birmingham. Most importantly, he want to take a short break and not think about boxing for a while.