Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. - in the name of my father 

It can be challenging to be the son of a national hero.

Just ask Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. who is a Senegalse champion and a bronze-medalist at the African Championships. Read on how he 

His father, who has the same name as him, is a true legend in the history of boxing in Senegal and Africa. He was the first Senegalese boxer to become African Champion and was dreaming of success at the Olympics and World Championships before getting partially paralysed after a fight. Now, his son is trying to carry on his legacy.

“I always tell him that I want to break all his records. It’s a motivation for me to become better than him. Everytime I train, when I sleep or when I eat, I tell myself that I do it to beat his records. No one has been better than him since, so this is my goal to do so”, explains the 27-year-old Dakar-native to Olympics.com.

Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. and the Olympics 

Being ambitious and loving boxing is running in the family. Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. was only two or three years old when he went to the gym for the first time. His father was carrying him on his shoulders and gave him small gloves to let him hit the bag for fun.

Even if he doesn’t remember seeing his father fighting in the ring, those memories at training are still alive in the mind of the boxer who has just won the African Zone II Championships. 

Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. is aiming to secure an Olympic quota spot for Paris 2024 at the African Boxing Qualifier in front of his home crowd at the Dakar Arena. 

If he succeeds in the 51kg weight class, it will see him surpass his father's accomplishment.

“I want to do it for the honour of my family. If I obtain this quota, it will mean something special for me, my family, my father and my country. Every time I watch the Olympic Games on the TV, it makes me want to be there”, says the boxer who enjoys watching all sports, from canoe slalom to fencing and even has a black belt in taekwondo. 

He vividly remembers watching the Olympic Games with his father when he was a kid.

• TO READ - How to qualify for boxing at Paris 2024

Same coach, different style

Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. can learn a lot from his father’s experience. They regularly talk on the phone about the importance of training. Pape Mamadou Sow Sr who is living in Italy even sends his son gloves to keep him motivated.

And there is another link between the tow.

Sow Jr. is being coached by the same man who advised his dad.

“I enjoy it. He always tells me the story of my father. He also advises me to stay focused in order to overtake him”, says Sow Jr.

While ambition and inspiration might be similiar between father and son, their fighting styles are different. Sow Jr wanted to follow his own path:

“My father was a fighter; he never gave up and he was a strong hitter. I enjoy the technical aspect more, hitting without being hit. I’m smart in the way I’m boxing, I use my head.”

Expectations are also different. His father had his biggest success more than 20 years ago. Now, the whole country is waiting for a fighter who can lead them to the promise land.

Can Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. deliver and succeed in the name of his famous dad?

“Yes, it’s a kind of pressure. At the international level, when people see my name, they find the link. Everybody knows my father. When I climb into the ring, they want to see how I’ll fight as a boxer, but also as the son of a champion. It’s pressure.”

Obtaining a quota for Paris 2024 would only be the first step to move out of his father's shadow. Pape Mamadou Sow Jr. wants to become Senegal's first Olympic medallist Amadou Dia Ba in Seoul 1988.