Golden girl Kellie visits Jack recovering at home

OLYMPIC champion Kellie Harrington visited Tallaght Olympian Jack Woolley at his Jobstown home last week as he was recovering from injuries sustained in a random violent assault earlier this month.

As previously reported in The Echo, Jack, who recently represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, was violently attacked whilst out with friends in the city centre shortly after 12.30am on Saturday morning, August 14.

According to a statement published by Jack on his Instagram page, a gang of 8-12 men and women violently attacked people along the boardwalk near Grattan Bridge, and during the incident the 22-year-old suffered a punch to the mouth resulting in major injuries.

Jack was taken to St James’ Hospital after the attack where he underwent surgery on his mouth and has since come home to recover.

Last Friday, champion boxer Kellie Harrington, who trains in St Mary’s Boxing Club in Tallaght and won gold in the Tokyo Olympics, visited the Taekwondo Olympian at his home as he was recovering from surgery.

“I know Kellie from being out in the gym,” Jack told The Echo. “When we were over in Tokyo we said that we’d meet up for lunch when we got back.”

Jack has had to stick to a liquid diet for the past few days as a result of his injuries, but the visit from Kellie was a high point during his recovery.

“It was nice just to have a normal chat about things,” he said, adding that, when his injuries are fully healed, the two athletes are hoping to meet up again for a meal.

When speaking to The Echo on Tuesday evening, Jack said the swelling on his lip had gone down and he had been able to start eating again.

The past pupil of Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole was also in attendance as a special guest at last nights UEFA Europa League Conference play-off match in Tallaght Stadium, where he and his family will be backing Shamrock Rovers.

Jack is planning to resume training this coming Monday, and said he was relieved that the recovery period following his surgery hasn’t been “too long”.

There was disappointment for Jack, who was the first Taekwondo athlete to represent Ireland in the games, at the Tokyo Olympics, after he was defeated by Argentinian Lucan Guzmán.

However, he now has his sights firmly set on the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.