Its a year to the day since Kellie Harrington made Irish Olympic history, by becoming the first Team Ireland boxer in 100 years to successfully defend her title.
Kellie, the Tokyo 2020 lightweight champion, entered the iconic Roland Garros Arena on August 6th, 2024, cloaked in the sound of her own name echoing of the stadium walls, as most of the 15,000 strong crowd became Irish for 12 incredible minutes – 12 minutes in which the first boxing Olympic champion of the Paris Games would be crowned.
The Dubliner, from Portland Row and of St. Mary’s Boxing Club, Tallaght, boxed out of the blue corner when she faced China’s Wenlu Yang 4-1 for amateur boxing’s greatest prize. She got to the final have left a swathe of stylish, assured victories in her wake. Having gotten a bye owing to her 3rd seed standing, she met Italy’s Alessia Messiano in the Round of 16, winning through with a 5-0 victory. She took on Colombia’s Angie Valdes and repeated her UD feat.
That victory set-up a famous re-run of the Tokyo lightweight final, against silver medalist and subsequently pro boxer, Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira. This was a superb bout between two of the highest level lightweight practioneers of the Sweet Science – but Kellie was resolute and tactically asute throughout, coming away with the 4-1 win.
Kellie boxed out of the blue corner when she stepped between the ropes in her Olympic final against Yang.
On that fateful August night, Kellie gave a masterful display in round one, switching her stance constantly, and expertly deflecting anything that came her way to win it 4-1 on the scoreboard. She slipped and momentarily hit the canvas early in the second but still won it 4- 1. Kellie totally dominated the final round again on a 4-1 score line to win the bout 4-1 on points, and make Irish Olympic history, celebrating then with a very special ring dance, joined by long-time head coach Zuari Anita.
Afterwards an overjoyed Harrington spoke of what it meant: “It just gives hope. All these young kids all these teenagers, it give hope to them, it gives hope to the people of Ireland, that’s what it means, but this one was for me.”
Kellie set another record that night – her final, broadcast by RTE- had the highest viewership of any sporting event in the stations history. 1.4 million people tuned in to watch her claim glory, and her bout was streamed 7.2 million times on the RTE Player.
The Paris 2024 Olympic team also included 50kg Daina Moorehouse, 54kg Jennifer Lehane, 57kg Michaela Walsh, 66kg Grainne Walsh, 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, 57kg Jude Gallagher, 63.5kg Dean Clancy, 71kg Aidan Walsh and 92kg Jack Marley. It was led by then High Performance Director Tricia Heberle, Head Coach Zauri Antia, Coaches Damian Kennedy, Lynne McEnery and James Doyle, with Team Doctor Jim Clover and Team Physio, Lorcan McGee.
Kellie’s Paris 2024 gold is the 19th Irish Olympic medal won in the sport of boxing, and cements the sport’s status as Ireland’s most successul Olympic sport.
John McNally: Silver, men’s bantamweight, 1952, Helsinki
Fred Tiedt: Silver, men’s welterweight, 1956, Melbourne
Tony Byrne: Bronze, men’s lightweight, 1956, Melbourne
John Caldwell: Bronze, men’s flyweight, 1956, Melbourne
Freddie Gilroy: Bronze, men’s bantamweight, 1956, Melbourne
Jim McCourt: Bronze, men’s lightweight, 1964, Tokyo
Hugh Russell: Bronze, men’s flyweight, 1980, Moscow
Michael Carruth: Gold, men’s welterweight, 1992, Barcelona
Wayne McCullough: Silver, men’s bantamweight, 1992, Barcelona
Kenneth Egan: Silver, men’s light heavyweight, 2008, Beijing
Darren Sutherland: Bronze, men’s middleweight, 2008, Beijing
Paddy Barnes: Bronze, men’s light flyweight, 2008, Beijing; Bronze, men’s light flyweight, 2012, London
Katie Taylor: Gold, women’s lightweight, 2012, London
John Joe Nevin: Silver, men’s bantamweight, 2012, London
Michael Conlan: Bronze, men’s flyweight, 2012, London
Aidan Walsh: Bronze, men’s welterweight, 2021, Tokyo
Kellie Harrington: Gold, female lightweight, 2021, Tokyo; Gold, female lightweight, 2024, Paris