News 8th August 2021 by Jade Carpenter

Irish Boxer Kellie Harrington Wins Gold At Tokyo 2020

Congratulations Kellie!

Irish boxer Kellie Harrington has become the third ever Irish boxer to win an Olympic gold medal.

The 31-year-old boxing star won gold in the women’s lightweight division final against Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira, who was the reigning world champion.

Kellie is the second Irish female to win gold at the Olympics along with Katie Taylor who won gold at the London 2012.

Kellie is from Portland Row in Dublin and has a solid support system in family and friends there who gathered around a large screen to watch the fight.

Speaking to RTE Kellie’s mother admitted she couldn’t watch the intense fight, “I don’t know, I didn’t watch it! I stayed in the garden, out the back…I’m so proud of her and I’m so delighted for her…She did it for all of us. All she wanted was to see people smiling and to make people happy”.

While her father had some more kind words, “She set a new mark…I was expecting Kellie to put on a spectacular show, and she did, it’s just beautiful”.

Ireland now has two Olympic gold medals to bring home for the first time as rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan won gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls.

There has been an outpour of support for Kellie on Twitter since the win:

A huge congratulations to Kellie! Ireland is so proud!