Taoiseach praises Kellie Harrington for 'lifting mood of nation'
Taoiseach Simon Harris applauded the rest of the Irish Olympic team, stating that the country is "punching well above its weight"
Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that double Olympic champion Kellie Harrington has done the country "extraordinarily proud" following her latest gold medal win.
He also praised the rest of the Irish Olympic team, stating that the country is "punching well above its weight."
Kellie, from Portland Row, took home the gold medal in the 60kg Olympic Boxing final on Tuesday evening in the Roland Garros stadium against Wenlu Yang from China.
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She became the first Irish female athlete to secure back-to-back Olympic gold medals.
Speaking at Government Buildings in Dublin on Wednesday morning, the Taoiseach said that Kellie’s win had "lifted the mood of the nation".
"She has made the country extraordinarily proud," Mr Harris said.
"I think people are absolutely ecstatic. She's lifted the mood of the nation. She's proven herself to be an unrivalled champion.
"She's a legend. She's an icon. She's an inspiration to many, many, many young people not only in her own community, but right across Ireland.
"I also proudly think of how far women's boxing has come in this country. I'm from Katie Taylor country [in Wicklow]. I remember back in 2012 when Katie won the medal and what that did for our focus on and an investment in boxing.
"Can I also just say more broadly, the Irish Olympic team have just done us so proud. 133 athletes, up from 116 in Tokyo.
"The highest number of medals ever in the Olympics. The highest number of gold medals ever in an Olympics.
"We’re about 12 in the table at the moment. I mean, there's only 5.6 million of us.
"We are really, pardon the pun, punching above our weight. It is a result of incredible athletes, incredible families, incredible coaches and, I'd like to think, investments that we've made in sport over the last number of years.
"We need there to be a legacy from this Olympics as we prepare for LA."
The Taoiseach said that there will be further investment in Irish sporting infrastructure following news of a new velodrome and badminton facilities in Dublin last week.
Mr Harris also wished other Irish athletes luck in the final few days of the games, including Tallaght woman Rhasidat Adeleke as she takes part in the semi-final of the women’s 400m race on Wednesday evening.
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