Smiling Assassin – Kellie Harrington goes into Historic Final ‘HAPPY’
Reigning Olympic champion Kellie Harrington makes history today, by becoming the first Team Ireland boxer to contest two successive Olympic finals.
She’s already joined Paddy Barnes (bronze, Beijing 2008 and bronze, London 2012) as the only two Irish boxers with two Olympic medals.
The St Mary’s BC fighter set up tonight’s historic final with a brilliant 4-1 victory over former foe and reigning profesional world champion Beatriz Ferreira.
That bout was a re-run of the Tokyo lightweight final, when the Irish great came home with gold.
A test awaits against China’s Yang Wenglu but the 34-year-old southpaw goes into the historic feeling happy, happy with life, happy with her boxing and happy to have just earned her 100th career win.
“It feels fantastic to get that fight out of the way because Bea is a fantastic opponent and, since Tokyo, she’s gone on to do great things in the professional ranks. I felt like I was the underdog in there today and I knew she had a point to prove,” Harrington said.
“All anyone’s been talking about is you’re going to meet Beatriz but that might never have happened. Now it has happened and thankfully it turned out the way it did. I’ve no idea if I fought better than in Tokyo but I enjoyed it more, “ she added.
“I just feel happy and I think the happiness is because I’m coming to the end of the road and I just know there’s life at the end of the tunnel.
Informed that she had just secured the 100th win of her brilliant career Harrington said: “I didn’t know that but it seems right doesn’t it, as this is the 100th anniversary of Ireland taking part in the Olympic Games!”
Harrington’s place in history now rests on tonight’s late night’s final against Wenlu Yang (China), which takes place in tennis’ iconic Roland-Garros Stadium. The Chinese woman, a world bronze medalist last year, beat Taipei’s Shih Yi Wu 5-0 in the other semi-final, and beat Harrington in the 64kg final of the World Championships in 2016, but they haven’t met since.
