He had to overcome a number of challenges in order to receive this award, including hostility directed at him because he is half-Filipino, his mother’s recent divorce from him, and the passing of his father.
Things with his deceased father greatly improved in the latter portion. Marios’ right arm bears a Maori tattoo that extends from shoulder to wrist. It portrays a number of facets of his life, including the death of his father and the wish that he was somehow still with him. One pattern features a form of semicircle surrounded by flowers.
Another tattoo on his left wrist makes it even more apparent: “Georgios Georgiou” and the date March 27, 2017, which marks the day his father passed away from a heart attack at age 65 after working years of unhealthy long hours as a taxi driver (he had been moved to the front office in his later years, answering phones, but continued to work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
Despite making it clear that they had a rocky relationship, his son says, “I’m proud of my dad because basically – at the end of the day, he was the only one that remained by me.”
Marios’ mother moved out when he was ten and had to move in with his father, but he lived with her for a bit until she left two years later. Dad was older and more involved, so Mum had generally left him alone (without gymnastics, he would have been roaming around like a wild animal). They frequently disagreed, as he recalls, “It was weird for me.”
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue8Keo56aXZy2tMCOsJ%2BoZZGnsm65wKugqKtdnLKwvsaipq6rXaWus7HNrapo