A tradie who isn’t afraid to get in touch with his feminine side will bring home Australia’s first Olympic boxing medal in more than three decades.
Harry Garside is last Australian standing in the ring at the Tokyo Olympics, where he’s guaranteed an Olympic medal in the lightweight division.
The 24-year reigning Commonwealth Games champion who added ballet to his training regimen showed why he’s not your average boxer after a nail-biting quarter-final victory against Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin.
Moments after the judges awarded him the victory in a split points decision, Garside pulled off his boxing gloves to show off his fingernails – each painted for the occasion with a rainbow pattern.
Lightweight boxer Harry Garside sported freshly painted nails in his quarter-final bout
‘I just want to break stereotypes, to be honest,’ he said after the fight.
‘There’s a lot of people out there who feel like they have to be something because they’re a male or a female. I’m all about just being different.’
The qualified plumber from the Gold Coast admitted he considered wearing a dress to to the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
‘But I didn’t want to offend anyone,’ the six-time national amateur champion added.
‘I feel like some people might take it the wrong way, so this is my way of showcasing something.’
Garside later flashed his nails again for the camera after his quarter-final win to share on social media.
‘Forgot to get these out on TV, fresh nails,’ he captioned the close-up.
‘Thank you everyone for the love, doing this for Australia.’
Harry Garside shared a close up of his fresh nails after Wednesday’s quarter-final victory
Garside remains in the hunt to win Australia’s maiden Olympic gold medal.
He will take on Cuba’s two-time world champion Andy Cruz when he steps into the ring for an epic semi-final showdown on Friday, where the winner will progress to Sunday’s gold medal match.
Garside can finish no worse than third as both semi-final losers are awarded bronze medals.
It will be Australia’s first Olympic boxing medal since Grahame ‘Spike’ Cheney won silver at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
Australian previously won bronze with Kevin Hogarth in 1956, and Oliver Taylor and Anthony Madigan at the 1960 Games in Rome.
Garside implemented ballet into his training regimen several years ago to improve his footwork and balance.
The qualified plumber says ballet training (pictured) has helped improve his fitness and footwork in the ring
Harry Garside (pictured) remains in the hunt to win Australia’s first Olympic boxing gold medal
‘I’m not going to lie, I’d always wanted to try ballet. I say I do it for boxing, but really, I have always wanted to dance,’ Garside said.
‘Ballet’s very tough, the power through the legs that they generate, the coordination, everything is just so extreme.’
He was also inspired to take up ballet by his hero, Ukranian fighter Vasiliy Lomachenko.
‘He’s my favourite fighter and he actually did a lot of traditional dancing, and a few other athletes do it (ballet) too,’ Garside said.
‘So I tried it out and fell in love with it almost instantly. It’s really hard, it’s really, really difficult.
Boxer Harry Garside will become Australia’s first Olympic medallist in the sport in 33 years
‘It’s definitely helped me throughout my boxing with my footwork and technique. Coordination is obviously a big thing. I’m very stiff in the ring and I feel like it’s loosened me up a little bit.
‘I’ll continue doing it even after boxing.’
Garside told Channel Seven in 2019: ‘It (ballet) is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
‘Very tough, the power through the legs they generate, the coordination, the technique, everything is so extreme. They make it look effortless.
‘It’s my little advantage so I’ll take anything I can get.’
Harry fights in the semi-finals at 3.47pm (AEST) on Friday