Harry Garside has shared a heartfelt message on social media after missing out on the gold medal he was gunning for at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Overnight Australian time, Harry was eliminated in the first round of the men’s 63.5kg class. He won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games and had been hoping to score a gold in Paris.
In a post-match interview that personally broke my heart watching at home, Harry apologised to his home country and revealed that times ahead will be tough for him.
Harry Garside’s disappointment over his Paris 2024 Olympics outcome
“It is crazy… two decades dedicated to one dream and it is over just like that,” Harry told Nine.
“Australia is such a sporting nation and I’m so sorry. Honestly, I feel like a failure right now … I don’t even know what to say,” he added.
“Deep down inside I fear for what the next couple of months look like for myself. I’m sure there’ll be some dark times. I’ve just got to prepare for that now.”
Harry’s heartfelt realisation
Harry has taken to social media following his Olympics outcome to share how he’s feeling after some time to process and we’re glad to see him looking a bit more optimistic.
Sharing that he’s been “beating himself up for a couple of hours” over the events before coming to a “realisation”.
“I had this realisation that I wanted a two-decade journey to try and get that gold medal. And yes, I didn’t get that gold medal but I became my own friend in that journey,” Harry reflected.
Harry continued to explain that his self-worth was low at the beginning of the journey and now he feels like he has the relationship with himself to manage his inner-critic.
“Over the last three years, I really worked hard and trying to build my self-worth and trying to grow and evolve and be kind to myself more often. In that, I don’t get success, but I’d rather be my friend and have no success.”
Harry then got emotional as he went on to share his hopes of becoming a dad one day.
“Being a dad and not passing on negative things to my kids is really important to me. So I’m really happy that the two-decade journey wasn’t for nothing,” Harry finished.
Absolutely sensational human that the whole of Australia is cheering on right now, gold medal or not.
You can watch the Paris 2024 Olympics on 9 and 9Now. Harry Garside also appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023 which you can watch on 10Play.