Harry Garside strives to be different and for Australian boxing there is nothing more different than an Olympic gold medallist.
That could be him on Sunday, with the 24-year-old ballet-dancing, fingernail-painting plumber already re-writing history by assuring Australia its first Games boxing medal in 33 years with a quarter-final win on Tuesday.
First he'll meet Cuba's two-time world champion Andy Cruz in a Friday semi-final, with the 2018 Commonwealth gold medallist adding at least Olympic bronze given both semi-final losers in boxing are awarded third place.
Australia hasn't won an Olympic boxing gold medal and haven't been on the podium since Grahame "Spike" Cheney's light welterweight silver at Seoul 1988.
Garside hung tough in a split 3-2 decision win over Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin, earning the one remaining judge's vote in a tense final round in a fight that could have gone either way.
He's quick to point out he's no stereotypical boxer though, ballet a part of Garside's regimen as he looked to improve his balance and footwork.
After the fight he showed off his freshly-painted nails to journalists as he declared "I only want the gold".
"I got these today; I just want to break stereotypes, to be honest. I'm a big one for that," he said.
"There's a lot of people out there who feel like they have to be something because they're a male or a female. I'm all about just being different.
"I was going to wear a dress to the opening ceremony, but I didn't want to offend anyone. I feel like some people might take it the wrong way, so this is my way of showcasing something."
He's been all business in three victories in the ring so far, admitting that "time stood still for that little bit" as he awaited the verdict and then let out a bellowing 'yes, c'mon'.
"(I was thinking) a thousand things ... I know Kazakhstan is an extremely good boxing nation. I knew it was really close," he said.
"I'm very grateful that the (Olympic) Boxing Task Force have brought this in (score updates after each round) because if we didn't know that I would have just kept boxing the way I was boxing and I probably would have lost that fight.
"It's crazy mate."
Garside's win offsets compatriot Skye Nicolson's gutting split decision quarter-final loss last week and ensures the sport remains on the Australian agenda in Tokyo.
"We deserve it, we work bloody hard down there. I love my country so much," Garside said.
"There's not many boxers (in Australia) - there's heaps of other sports - so I'm just grateful to do this for the next generation of athletes leading into the 2032 Brisbane Games."
Australian Associated Press
