Kellie Harrington crowned the Queen of Paris as she makes her exit centre court
The Dubliner danced around the ring in celebration as the result of her lightweight final was announced. She had done it. The Kellie Harrington Show is a hit once more.
Kellie Harrington was crowned the Queen of Paris as she made centre court her stage on a magical Roland Garros night.
With career win number 101, Harrington has become Ireland's first ever back to back Olympic boxing champion. She is also Ireland's first female athlete to win medals in two Games.
She joins Pat O'Callaghan (1928-1932) in that achievement, as well as the rowing double sculls team Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy who reached that mark last Friday.
READ MORE: Kellie Harrington: an Olympic icon, a hero for our divided times
READ MORE: Ciara Mageean "heartbroken" to pull out of the Paris Olympics due to injury
The Dubliner danced around the ring in celebration as the result of her lightweight final was announced. She had done it. The Kellie Harrington Show is a hit once more.
"It just gives hope," Harrington said immediately after her win over China's Yang Wenlu, the top seed in the lightweight division. "Look at all these young kids, these teenagers, it gives hope to them. It gives hope to the people of Ireland. But this one was for me."
Asked what her next plan would be, she replied: "To be happy. To smile, to be happy, enjoy it. It’s the last hurrah. I’m done. I always said I’d retire a champion, that's it.
"Let me say it again - Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your auntie. Goodnight Irene."
The 34-year-old's 4-1 victory the glitzy venue also brought Ireland's gold tally for the Paris Games to four - a new record - to enrich the medal count of seven that have been won to date.
Normally the reserve of the greats of tennis, it was Harrington who took centre stage with the roof closed at the iconic stadium.
She won Ireland's second - and final - gold in Tokyo three years ago and, after a difficult build-up to Paris in terms of motivation, she had looked back to her best at these Games.
She had been hugely impressive in beating Alessia Mesiano 5-0 in the last 16, then Angie Valdes Pana by the same score in the quarter-final to guarantee her second Olympic medal.
After that it was a matter of what colour - and, in a rematch of the Tokyo 60kg final with Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira, she won just as emphatically on Saturday night at the North Paris Arena.
That set up last night's gold medal fight with Wenlu, who had won the only other meeting between the two in a 64kg World championship final in 2016.
'Zombie' blared out as Harrington made her entrance and, after a slightly cagey start, she got into her stride as roars of 'Kellie, Kellie' and 'Olé, Olé' rang out.
Harrington had to be watchful of Wenlu's greater reach and was caught a couple of times by the left jab of her opponent, however the Irish boxer finished the round in close with a ferocious battery of punches and took the round 4-1.
The second round was a more open contest, and while Harrington delivered the odd combination, she also swung wildly a couple of times but 33-year-old Wenlu failed to bridge the gap enough to convince the judges. Another 4-1 score in the Irish fighter's favour.
And so the third round was about not making any big mistakes, just bringing that gold home. She won the third 4-1 too, and that was the emphatic overall score.
The celebrations - and the dancing - could begin.
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
