Harrison Garside (born 22 July 1997) is an Australian boxer and plumber.[1] He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics where he won the bronze medal.[2][3] This marked the first time in more than three decades that an Australian medaled in boxing at the Olympics.[4]
Early life
Garside began boxing at age 9. This came as a shock to his family as he was not considered to be a boxer. He was the youngest of three boys and was closest to his mother. He was inspired by the Olympic Spirit from a young age, having photos of Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe on his bedroom ceiling to inspire him.[5]
Garside joined the Lilydale Youth Club which became his second home. He was at first to be an easy target and lost 10 of his first 18 fights. Garside harnessed an underdog mentality and he was motivated to train harder.[5]
Career
In 2015, Garside won his first of six Australian National Championships. In 2018 he competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where he won the gold medal in the men's 60kg division.[5]
As of 2021[update], Garside had won seven Australian national boxing championships.[4]
After winning Bronze at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Garside turned professional, winning three fights, before returning to amateur boxing, aiming to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He booked his place in the games after winning Gold at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara.
Garside is also known for challenging gender norms, often wearing skirts and dresses to awards shows and ceremonies. Though he has received a lot of backlash over this, Garside has stated that he hopes he is being a good advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.[9]
