An LGBTQ-supporting ballerina will be the Hungarian male boxer's first opponent at the Olympics

Fate brought Richárd Kovács together with a strange rival who sometimes wore skirts, women's clothes and painted nails.

Two-time European bronze medalist Richárd Kovács avoids the qualifiers, so he will enter the ring for the first time on Monday morning, against the fifth ranked Hardy Garside. The lightweight boxer from Nyíregyház cannot expect an easy fight. Garside won a bronze medal in lightweight (60 kg) at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Australian boxer to win an Olympic medal after Grahame Cheney's silver medal in Seoul in 1988 - the Mandiner reviewed the Sportal.hu article .

At the Games three years ago, she also attracted attention by flashing rainbow-painted nails after defeating Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin in the quarterfinals, but the wrestler often wears skirts and dresses to awards ceremonies because she supports the LGBTQ community and challenges gender norms. .

 Garside also incorporated ballet into her training regimen to become a better boxer.

"I want to break stereotypes, I'm a big believer in that. There are a lot of people who feel that they have to be something because they are a man or a woman, the only thing for me is to be different," said the athlete.

MTI / Mandarin

Cover image: Garside is often seen in skirts with painted nails. Photo: Instagram / harry_garside