Kellie Harrington is guaranteed at least bronze from the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The Dublin lightweight beat Algeria’s Imane Khelif on a unanimous decision this morning to book her ticket into the last four.
Harrington found the target with some beautiful combinations against the North African in round one, two and three and also hit the mark with backhands.
Khelif, who had a height and reach advantage, also found the target but not with the same frequency as Harrington.
Harrington will now meet Thailand’s Sudaporn Sessondee in the semi-finals.
Harrington beat Sessondee on a 3-2 split decision in the 2018 World Elite final.
The final scores from this morning’s bout were 30-27,30-27,30-27,30-27, 29-28 to 2018 World Elite champion Harrington.
“I’m overwhelmed with emotions,” Harrington told RTÉ Sport after the fight.
“You think of getting here and I never think of getting medals. Sometimes I think I’m lucky. I can’t be that lucky to be winning all these things and end up here with a bronze medal in my bag from the Olympic Games.
“Everything I’ve achieved I owe to Noel Burke, who is my club coach at home. I owe it to these men [coaches] and the rest of the high performance team. Not only this, I owe it to my team mates, as well, for all the sparring and the preparation and support that they’ve give me out here – and we give each other – it’s just been fantastic.
“The support that I’m getting from the community back home. I’ve heard that it’s lit back home. I’m just so happy and my emotions really come when it comes to this. To be able to give them something to be happy about and to sing and dance. Just for one person lifting the nation.
Of her opponent Harrington said, “very, very awkward and throwing from real far but making mad grunting noises. She had really long arms and it was hard to get in and do what I would like to do.
“It wasn’t an amazing fight but it was a fight that I won – I did enough to win it. She was smiling at me and sticking out her tongue. I was smiling back as if to say, ‘it’s all fun and games until my hand gets lifted!’
Irish boxing has two bronze medals as Belfast welter Aidan Walsh will be bringing home bronze.
Irish boxing has now won nine medals from three of the last four Olympics.
Tokyo Olympics
July 24th
Last 32
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Jose Quiles (Spain) 5-0
July 25th
Last 32
81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) lost to Dilshod Ruzmetov (Uzbekistan) 0-5
July 26th
Last 32
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Carlo Paalam (Philippines) 1-4
Last 16
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) lost to Irma Testa (Italy) 0-5
July 27th
Last 16
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Albert Menque (Cameroon) 5-0
July 28th
Last 16
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) lost to Qian Li (China) 0-5
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Mirazizbek Mitzakhalilov (Uzbekistan) 4-1
July 30th
Last 16
60hk Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Rebecca Nicoli (Italy) 5-0
Quarter-final
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Mervin Clair (Mauritius) 4-1
August 1
Quarter-final
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) lost to Duke Ragan (USA) 2-3
Semi-final
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) lost to Pat McCormack (Great Britain) (W/O)
(Walsh sustains an ankle injury)
August 3
Quarter-final
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Imane Khelif (Algeria) 5-0
August 5
Semi-final
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Sudaporn Sessondee (Thailand)