Kellie Harrington fight to be screened for free in Dublin city centre as boxer goes for gold
Kellie Harrington's Olympic gold medal fight will be screened live in Dublin city centre on Tuesday night.
The Portland Row native takes on China's Wenlu Yang- the top seed who won their only meeting eight years ago - in her bid to bring home a second consecutive Olympic gold. And Diamond Park - which has already played host to live screenings of Harrington's previous two fights - will play host again for the final, Dublin City Council have confirmed.
"Diamond Park will open to the public from 9pm on Tuesday 6th August, with the live fight scheduled for 10:06pm," a statement read. "There will be no shortage of entertainment pre - event either, with a screening of highlights from this years’ screenings along with a live performance from the incredibly talented Arkins Dance Academy, who brought home the bronze medal last month from the Dance World Cup in Prague."
READ MORE: What Irish athletes are in action on Tuesday at the Olympic Games? Full list for day 11 in Paris
READ MORE: Who is Kellie Harrington fighting in Olympic final? All you need to know about Yang Wenlu
Speaking after her semi-final victory - the 100th win of her impressive career - proud Dubliner Kellie said: “Whether I win or lose I am going to go home to a great family and an absolutely brilliant community. I know my community is super proud of me.
"Whether I win or lose, they’re part of me and I’m part of them, and I honestly can’t wait to get home and celebrate with them." The final fight will take place at Roland Garros, the iconic tennis venue.
All of the earlier rounds of the boxing competition took place at the Paris North Arena, close to Charles de Gaulle airport. In her third and final fight there of the week, Harrington was magnificent in beating her Tokyo final opponent Beatriz Ferreira, and the outpouring of emotion afterwards from the Dubliner and her coaches suggested that Ferreira was the one to beat in Harrington's final competition at 60kg.
"It feels fantastic to get that fight out of the way because Bea is a fantastic opponent and since Tokyo she’s gone on to do great things in the professional ranks," said Harrington. "I felt very much in control. She's a fantastic opponent, she's class, like. She's been beaten twice since Tokyo, once straight afterwards in the World Military Championships or something. I felt like the underdog in there."
Seven semi-finals and all 13 gold medal fights - including Harrington's - will be staged across the capital at the home of the French Open. The 34-year-old is the only one of the record number of Irish qualifiers to make it there. Michaela Walsh's defeat at Paris North brought the curtain down on a disappointing week for the rest of Harrington's team-mates.
