Harding’s father passed away shortly before his Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham 2022 and the 27-year-old para powerlifter has vowed ever since to earn a medal in Glasgow in his honour.
The Greasby native stuck to his word by carrying a picture of his father with him onto the podium and paid tearful tribute afterwards.
The heavyweight said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling and one that will stay with me through the test of time.
“Whatever happens in the future, I can always look back on this and be proud of what has already been a great career.
“Four years ago, I was at my father’s bedside and my mum was asking questions I didn’t have the answers to. It made me grow up really quickly.
“I was determined that, although I didn’t have the answers then, I would achieve something that would make it all feel worthwhile.
“The Commonwealth Games were so important to my dad. Representing Team England would have meant everything to him.
“To have his son represent Team England would have put him on top of the world, and now to be the second-strongest man in the Commonwealth is even better.
“It was amazing being on the podium, watching all my family cry, because it was such a different emotion from four years ago.
“They were tears of joy. They’ve stuck behind me every step of the way and I was so determined, four years ago, to give them something to enjoy on a platform like this, because it’s what they absolutely deserve.”
Harding lifted 199kg, well over twice his bodyweight, but was narrowly edged out by Nigeria’s Riluwan Idris who won gold.
It was an excellent result for Harding, who admitted he was fighting hard to be at his best.
He added: “It was an interesting competition because I was struggling this week and I knew I needed to step my game up.
“Tom and Ben, my amazing coaches, really helped fine-tune everything and helped me achieve a great feat of strength.
“They stuck by me every step of the way. We knew what we were capable of and what we could achieve. It’s been an amazing day.”
Harding’s silver wrapped up an excellent day at the SEC Armadillo, with Mark Swan winning men’s lightweight gold and Olivia Broome women’s lightweight bronze.
Swan is Harding’s long-term roommate during competitions and he paid tribute to the new Commonwealth champion.
“Mark is an unbelievable athlete,” said Harding. “He really sets the tone for what a true athlete and a true competitor should be. I’m grateful to be alongside him.
“I was watching him on the live feed earlier and got a bit excited. I had to calm my emotions down. When he went for the world record, I thought he might get it. Then he got the gold medal, which is exactly what he deserved.
“He’s been knocking on that door for so long and he truly deserves it. I have no idea where he is right now, but no doubt I’ll hear about it in the morning.”
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