Ever since he was young, boxer Harry Garside dreamed of being the first Australian to take home a gold medal for his sport at the Olympics. After winning a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, he was a favourite to win, or at least, find a spot on the podium for his lightweight division. When the 27-year-old came up against his first opponent at the Paris Olympics 2024, his dream was shattered in just nine minutes, resulting in one of the most raw, heartfelt post-match interviews Australia had ever seen.
“I feel like a failure,” Harry admitted to Aussie media, tears running down his face. What happened next was admittedly an unexpected move from a country that subtly tells boys not to cry: Australia comforted Garside.
News publications around the country shared tributes to the boxing star to make sure he knew that we were proud of him — not just for putting everything on the line for his sport, but for being vulnerable and emotional on a world stage.
Now, reflecting on the moment three months later, Harry says it’s helped him redefine how he measures success.
“As any high performer, we all have nightmares about our biggest fear coming true, and failure like that was my biggest fear,” he tells PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“I think I was really raw in that post-match interview because I was terrified of what that next little period looked like. I guess knowing from past experiences what failure had looked like for me, I was really scared.”
Instead of finding headlines of disappointment, Harry admits he was incredibly relieved to see messages of support from the public.
“For my biggest nightmare to happen and then wake up the next day and feel like I got a massive hug from Australia was pretty amazing,” he says with smile.
“I’m just really grateful to have come back home and feel that love from all of Australia.”
Honestly, though, Harry isn’t ashamed to admit that he wanted that gold medal. However, the situation taught him that it was important not to tie his worth to his athletic success — no matter how tempting it is.
“There is still a little boy inside of me that would have given my life for a gold medal. I can’t deny that,” Harry admits.
“But also, there is something else inside of me that doesn’t tie myself to my performances. I’m judging myself based on other things, like my actions throughout the day, or things based on my character rather than just my athletic ability.
“I think that comes with maturity. As a society, we prop up success in sport, or whether you’re a good singer or actor. But are those people actually good people? I don’t know.”
Harry came into the Paris Olympics with more of a spotlight on him than most of the other athletes representing Australia after he appeared on the 2023 season of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here which saw him become a household name.
“To get an opportunity like that, I was stoked,” he says.
“I remember I got criticised by some people for taking that. I guess people sometimes project and think that they’re only one-faceted creatures. When I was exploring other avenues, whether it be media, TV shows or social media instead of just boxing, I think some people criticised me for that.”
Despite the criticisms, I’m A Celeb turned out to be a life-changing opportunity that not only catapulted the boxer’s profile and his message into the mainstream, but gave him a chance to get to know people he’d admired from afar for years.
“To be in a TV show with someone like Peter Helliar, who I watched on Rove Live when I was younger, or to just be surrounded by some people that I just never thought in a million years I’d be hanging out with,” he reflects.
“It was very special.”
Before he went on I’m A Celeb, Harry had already built a bit of a profile on social media for sharing messages of positive masculinity, fitness, mental health and everyday silliness. That, combined with his penchant for painting his nails and wearing dresses, made him a walking contradiction in the very best way. Here he was, this tattooed-up boxer who takes ballet classes and unashamedly talks about his feelings and wants to be a positive role model — not only for young men, but for everyone.
“I’ve realised it comes from a place of security in my masculinity,” he says.
“I remember when I was younger, I was so insecure in my masculinity for a long time. A big part of my life story is how many men in my life have criticised my manhood, or at least, I felt that they criticised my manhood.
“A lot of men don’t like what I’m standing for which I get. I don’t want to push my views on anyone. If you like it, listen to it. If you don’t? That’s totally fine, just be respectful.”
In an age where many young boys are idolising people like Andrew Tate, the boxing champ hopes that he can be a positive role model who can speak to the experience of being young, and needing someone to look up to.
“I know I’m not a young kid anymore, but I can recognise what it was like being a teenager, and I can look to them and see some similarities between my life and some crossovers for young people right now,” Harry shares.
“I think it’s a hard one because I’m a boxer, right? Teenagers when they’re at that age, they want to feel strong and big. It’s why people like Andrew Tate are successful because he tells them, ‘You do this, you do that, you end up like me’.
“It’s all the things they think they want without realising that it’s not anything. They want status, credibility, and strength. I think it’s really hard for them to criticise me because I am a boxer who embodies those traits. Andrew Tate says not to like someone like me, but also knowing I’m a fighter, it’s pretty conflicting in nature.”
Most recently, Harry has become an ambassador for the healthy burger chain Grill’d along with his mate, long-distance running superstar Nedd Brockman. In support of Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge, an initiative where he aimed to raise $10 million by running 1000 miles (1069km) in 10 days, Grill’d donated $80,000 to the cause. As a result, Harry got to join Brockman for a marathon-length session running around Sydney Olympic Park.
“We’ve been good mates for a number of years now,” Harry says.
“To see him sustain what he’s doing with passion, purpose, commitment and resilience for a good cause, it’s infectious to be around. He’s changing the world for the better. I’m super grateful for our relationship… and that we’re both sponsored by Grill’d.”
On TikTok, Harry does his own uncomfortable challenge each month. The latest one? He has to speak to people in a baby voice. He says it’s the hardest one yet.
“I got about four days in and it genuinely made me feel sick,” he laughs.
“I’ve got three more days to go, thank God. It is so hard and I literally chicken out so many times when I go to do it. It’s something so simple and so funny, but it actually is difficult.”
Considering this is a guy who was fine with the eating challenges on I’m A Celeb and kind of gets punched in the face for a living, that’s saying something.
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