Harrington strikes gold in Tokyo

ST MARY’S Boxing Club in Tallaght is celebrating this morning after their own Kellie Harrington was crowned Olympic champion following a masterclass performance that earned her a unanimous decision in the lightweight decider against Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira in Tokyo.

The 2018 World champion never lost sight of the ultimate prize despite finding herself 3-2 down after the opening round against her hard-hitting 28-year-old opponent.

Indeed Harrington maintained her composure and remained true to her tactics, using the space in the ring and serving up a superb display of counter punching that saw her take the second round on all five judges’ cards.

It marked the very first round that Ferreira dropped throughout the entire Tokyo Games and despite her best attempts to employ that potentially devastating power in the third, Harrington proved too much of an elusive target.

The Portland Row jewel not only evaded the efforts of the 2019 World champion to land those heavy combinations, but had the speed and accuracy needed to catch her opponent from the backfoot and ultimately earn a hugely deserved 5-0 victory and Olympic gold.

It was a feat that served to place the St Mary’s boxer among the great Olympic champions of this country, including former boxing gold medal winners Michael Carruth and Katie Taylor.

Speaking to RTE after her victory, Harrington said “I feel relief. We’re all champions. Anyone who steps in between those ropes are champions.

Kellie Harrington falls to her knees with emotion after her victory over Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in the Olympic Games’ lightweight final in Tokyo this morning. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

“Every fight has been a tough fight, every fight has been a gold medal fight. It’s just fantastic.

“I just can wait to get back home and sit on my couch and sleep. I’m absolutely exhausted to be honest. What a journey. It’s just absolutely fantastic.

“There’s been times in my career where people say the whole country is behind you. This time a really really feel the whole country is behind me

“People might say, ‘Oh that’s pressure, you might feel like you have a big weight on your shoulders.’

“But I actually really didn’t, because I knew that no matter what happened out here, whether it was gold or silver or whatever, I knew I’ve made myself proud and I know I’ve made the people of Ireland proud regardless of the colour of the medal.

“Just being here and putting our little nation on the map, it’s just the stuff of dreams.”