The North Paris Arena was witness to a significant milestone in Kellie Harrington’s career as she marked her 100th victory late Saturday. However, the Irish lightweight Olympic champion deemed her forthcoming 101st win momentous compared to all her past victories. After her triumph over Beatriz Ferreira in what could be her last boxing career showdown, Harrington secured a sure silver medal and hinted at her possible retirement from international boxing.
Harrington was elusive when asked about going professional post-Paris, stating she has no desire to turn pro but could consider if the financial reward is worth it. Despite this, she expressed her intention to contest in Ireland’s national championships, but likely withdrawing from any international tournaments.
Her 4-1 split decision victory against Brazil’s Ferreira in the semi-finals paves her way towards the gold medal face-off against China’s Wenlu Yang at Roland Garros on Tuesday night. Following the completion of the Olympic tennis event, the boxing ring will move to the Philippe Chatrier centre court, which has ample space for 15,000 spectators.
Harrington’s impressive command in her third Olympic Games bout will have caught the observation of Wang, who sees Harrington as a formidable opponent for a shot at a duplicate gold medal. Only three other Irish athletes—Dr Pat O’Callaghan, and rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan—have accomplished consecutive gold winnings in a century’s worth of Irish independant national competition. Should Harrington defeat Yang, she would pioneer as the first female athlete to achieve this impressive feat.
Exuding confidence and skill, Harrington, champion formerly of Dublin, expertly avoided Ferreira’s renowned punches and secured a 4-1 victory in the first round. She utilised a precise jab and maintained an unreachable distance from Ferreira, who is recognised as a formidable contender in the Brazilian Armed Forces.
In the second round, Ferreira turned the tables, becoming very active and engaging Harrington on her own gameplay. She made progress, and judges scored the round in her favour at 3-2. Harrington, however, reverted to her smart scoring tactics in the final stage. By continually averting potential threats and employing a jab and backhand combination again, she won through sheer patience and precision. This approach earned her a clean 5-0 victory in the decisive round.
“I am positively enjoying this,” expressed Harrington. She admitted, “You might not be able to tell by my countenance in the Village, but I really am loving it.” She finds the sport to be a solitary pursuit most of the time. She mentioned, “If I’m not eating in the food hall or getting a physio treatment, most of my time is spent in my own room.”
“It’s a bit repetitive after three weeks, but the moment I step into the ring, I’m elated. I get to let loose and be my wildest self in the ring, and it’s an unbeatable sensation. No judgements, just complete freedom. I often talk about retirement, but the thought of losing this feeling is daunting, so for now, I’m taking things one step at a time.”
Harrington has previously battled against Yang in 2016’s World Championship final in Astana. They originally competed at a higher weight class, light welterweight, but have now moved down to lightweight (60kg). Yang bested Harrington in their prior bout in Kazakhstan. However, since then, Harrington has seen more success at the Olympic level.
She confessed,upon learning about their eight-year-old match, “Nobody mentioned it until another person brought it up.”
“I recall the situation being a close call. I believed at the time that I had the upper hand. However, that doesn’t necessarily imply that I’ll have the advantage next time we meet. It simply suggests that I’ll fulfil my responsibilities, and she will do the same with hers.”