Life on the Garside: Bronze, ballet and the big dance after Tokyo
With his idiosyncrasies out of the boxing ring, along with his quirks in the squared circle, Harry Garside was very much an athlete for the times in Tokyo, even if it wasn’t quite enough for this particular occasion.
These Olympics have been all about competitors shedding stereotypes and allowing the world to peer beyond the sculpted exteriors; driven to perfection yet inherently flawed, courageous but not bulletproof. Garside, a 24-year-old Victorian who includes ballet as part of his training, fits the bill on so many fronts.
Harry Garside (right) takes on Cuban Andy Cruz.Credit:Getty Images
Garside secured Australia’s first bronze medal in boxing for 33 years in the lightweight division. He had higher hopes and wanted a spot in the gold medal match before being outclassed by the excellent Cuban Andy Cruz on Friday, who won every round and forced a standing count in the third.
There was disappointment afterwards, as well as a commitment to fight again in Paris in 2024, possibly mixing some professional outings with his amateur status as is now allowed under the current rules.
A tattoo of Muhammad Ali on Harry Garside’s leg.Credit:Getty Images
Garside didn’t care too much for the history of his achievement, which breaks a long dry spell for Australian fighters. Of more importance was his growth as a young man who has learned to embrace his eccentricities, one of which sees him spend parts of his week working on jetés and free enchaînements on top of hooks and jabs.
“I’m more proud of myself, how I conducted myself,” Garside replied when asked what it meant to be Australia’s first boxing medal winner since Spike Cheney in 1988. “Who would have thought a boy from Lilydale [outside of Melbourne] would win a bronze medal at the Olympics?
“No matter how big I get in boxing, I never want to lose myself. I’m learning to love every aspect of myself, that’s something I struggled with when I was younger. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough and that’s half the reason why I’m here, to try and prove I am good enough.
“I’m finding out new things about myself every day. I’m learning to love myself for who I am and if that means expressing myself a little differently, I don’t mind.”
Garside is a plumber by trade but that’s about the only thing about him that is close to regulation. At these Games, he sported painted nails in a challenge to the gender stereotypes of his macho sport and at one point, he considered wearing a dress to the opening ceremony.
When you hear him speak so openly and earnestly about his path in boxing and life, it comes as little surprise to learn he has worked with the Australian Institute of Sport and the Black Dog Institute as part of their mental fitness program.
His Olympic hero isn’t a boxer but swimming great Grant Hackett, who sent him a message before his semi-final. But it’s his fascination with ballet that has intrigued reporters in Tokyo. He finds parallels with boxing and hopes to one day perform on stage, not just in the rehearsal studio.
“I’ve honestly learned so much from ballet. It’s really tough, I’m always sore the next day. It’s a great challenge, there are so many similarities with boxing, the structure, the discipline, my teacher pulls me up all the time,” said Garside, who also likes to reference the 2000 teen drama Centre Stage, which revolves around a group of young ballet dancers at a fictitious New York academy.
“I really enjoy it. I want to continue after boxing. One day I’ll do a performance, I’m just not good enough yet.”
Garside does have some work to do on his main craft, boxing, if he wants to thrive as a professional or take things a step further in Paris. He moves like a lotus in the ring and carries his hands very low, which gives him a certain awkwardness but also makes him hittable.
Cruz had no issues landing some crisp counters early in the fight and he never relented. Garside took some heavy shots in the third round and looked in significant trouble before getting himself to the final bell.
He will now head home to Lilydale, where his mates will continue to rib him for ballet and his ballet teacher will continue to admonish him for chewing gum in class, or poor posture on the barre.
“I love it,” Garside said. “They know I’m pretty different and do things very strangely sometimes. They just accept me for who I am.”
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