Olympics 24: Kellie Harrington lands unanimous win in Paris opener

Defending Olympic 60kg lightweight champion Kellie Harrington landed an unanimous 5-0 win over Italy’s Alessia Mesiano this afternoon.

Harrington, who is a member of St Mary’s Boxing Club in Tallaght, comfortably won all three rounds on all of the five judges’ scorecards.

A former world featherweight gold medallist, Mesiano was unable to draw Harrington in – with the Dublin boxer maintaining her distance and discipline for the nine-minute bout.

Harrington will now progress into the quarter finals, and is one step closer to becoming a back-to-back, two-time Olympic medalist.

Speaking with RTE Sport after the fight, Harrington said: “This is what I love… it was a fantastic fight.

“Alessia is a really smooth operator and it was great to get in there and be able to take the win.”

For more latest news on our Local Olympians click HERE.