Beloved Aussie boxer Harry Garside has been left inconsolable after losing his first boxing bout at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In just nine minutes, his dream of a podium finish was dashed after he lost in a first-round elimination match against Hungary’s Richard Kovacs.
The 27-year-old was a bronze medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and was a favourite to win the men’s 63.5kg class competition. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
“It’s a wild sport, it only comes around every four years and for it to be over just like that I feel very numb right now,” the disheartened athlete shared with the press after his shock loss.
“I could see the gold medal in my visualisations and I don’t know what went wrong.”
Fellow Team Australia boxer Tyla McDonald has also been eliminated after losing her match against Maria Jose Palacios Espin from Ecuador in the women’s 60kg division.
Whilst disappointed, the 21-year-old said she would be coming back “bigger, better, and stronger” for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
This year, Australia has taken a record 12 boxers to the Olympics, marking their largest-ever contingent of Australian boxers in the sport to date.
Previously, the largest amount of Australian boxers to compete at an Olympic Games was 11 at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Only five boxers participated at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where Harry Garside placed third on the podium, securing a bronze medal – Australia’s first Olympic medal in boxing since 1988.
This year will also be the largest number of female Australian boxers to compete at six, including World Championships silver medallist Caitlin Parker who will become the first women’s boxer from Australia to compete in more than one Olympic Games.
Apart from Garside and Parker, the remaining 10 athletes have not taken to the ring at an Olympic Games before.
All 12 members were nominated by Boxing Australia to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to compete after exemplary performances in the Oceanic qualifiers at the 2023 Pacific Games.
On March 18th, 2024 the AOC accepted the nominations, thus confirming the Australian Olympic boxing team.
The boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place from July 24th until August 10th.
Preliminary boxing matches are taking place at Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte, while the semifinals and finals will happen at the iconic Roland Garros Stadium in the heart of Paris.
Who is in the Australian Paris 2024 Olympic Games Boxing Team?
The Australian boxers taking to the ring in Paris include:
- Monique Suraci (women’s 50kg)
- Tiana Echegaray (women’s 54kg)
- Tina Rahimi (women’s 57kg)
- Tyla McDonald (women’s 60kg) – ELIMINATED
- Marissa Williamson Pohlman (women’s 66kg)
- Caitlin Parker (women’s 75kg)
- Yusuf Chothia (men’s 51kg)
- Charlie Senior (men’s 57kg)
- Harry Garside (men’s 63.5kg) – ELIMINATED
- Shannan Davey (men’s 71kg)
- Callum Peters (men’s 80kg)
- Teremoana (men’s +92kg)
Want more Olympic content? Why not check out the articles below:
Related stories
Native ad body.
How getting my hearing checked gave me a new lease on life
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
