By Melissa Woods, AAP
The pain was all over Harry Garside’s face – but not from any blows inflicted by his Hungarian opponent, who served up a shock opening defeat to the Australian boxing star in Paris.
Seeking to become the first Australian to win an Olympic boxing gold medal following his break-through lightweight bronze in Toyko, a shattered Garside had to cut short his media interview after breaking down.
After a first-round bye, the 27-year-old Victorian fell to Richard Kovacs by unanimous decision on Monday in their round of 16 clash, with Garside saying he’d let the country down.
But the news was better for giant teammate Teremoana Teremoana, who got a knock-out in the first round of his super heavyweight round of 16 meeting with Ukrainian Dmytro Lovchynski.
“I wasn’t planning to go for the knock-out, the plan was to go out there and box but I was landing a few clean punches and he was feeling it and went down every time he got caught,” 26-year-old Teremoana said.
He became the first Australian to win an Olympic fight in that division, and will next face Uzbekistan’s defending champion Bakhodir Jalolov.
It was a bright moment on an otherwise devastating day for the boxing contingent.
Garside was inconsolable about his loss.
“As an athlete you put a lot of expectation on yourself and for the run to be over just like that, I feel like a failure right now,” Garside said.
“I really envisioned winning that gold medal for Australia, I really thought I could do it.”
Garside started brightly, bouncing around the ring as he showed off his trademark footwork, winning the opening round 3-2.
But the awkward Hungarian, a five-time national champion, tried to antagonise the Australian, coming forward with his hands down and his tongue out.
He got the better of Garside in the second round, with the judges scoring it 5-0.
The fifth seed in the 63.5kg division, Garside needed to find something special in the third round but again fell short.
“He made the adaptions that he needed to in that second round and that showboating really was on his side as well but that’s not in my nature,” said the fan favourite, who cut short his fledgling professional career after three fights to chase gold.
With his voice faltering, the deep-thinking Garside said he felt he’d been “too nice” to himself leading into the Games and feared what lay ahead in terms of his mental state.
He revealed earlier this month he had suicidal thoughts last year after a charge of alleged domestic violence for which he was later cleared
“It sounds so crazy but over the last four years I’ve become my own friend,” Garside said.
“Before the last Olympics, I hated myself, and it got results (bronze at Tokyo 2020).
“I have a better relationship with myself but I think I was being too nice to myself. I’ve got to reflect on that and see what’s next.
“Whatever happens but I know the next few months will be a pretty hard time, I’m sure I’ll have some dark moments, I’m f*****g terrified.”
Garside later posted on social media that while he was disappointed not to achieve his goal he was going to be able to move past the defeat.
Earlier at North Paris Arena, Tyla McDonald made a similar early exit from the women’s 60kg division, losing by unanimous decision to Ecuador’s Maria Jose Espinoza Palacios.
The Victorian 21-year-old, making her Olympic debut, said she struggled to overcome nerves as well as the relentless jabs from her rangy rival.
