She did it. In what was her last ever international fight, Kellie Harrington came to the gilded courts of Roland-Garros and kept stockpiling firsts. She was smooth and clinical, like she has been all through the boxing competition here. And it brought her to a place no Irish boxer has ever been.
By beating Wenlu Yang of China in a split decision, the Dublin fighter became the first Irish woman to successfully defend an Olympic gold medal in any sport. She is the first Irish boxer, male or female, to make a gold medal fight in multiple Olympics, not to mind win them both. She is the greatest Irish Olympic boxer in history. She is eternal.
“It gives hope to all these young kids, all these teenagers, it gives hope to them,” she said afterwards. “But this one was for me!
[ Kellie Harrington steps into the breach once more to take on historyOpens in new window ]
“[The plan] was to be happy, just to be happy. To smile and be happy. Enjoy it. I’m done, I’ve always said I want to retire a champion. And that’s it! Let me just say once again, Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt. Goodnight Irene.”
Up until now, the boxing tournament at these Games has been plonked in an industrial estate in the northern suburbs of Paris, stashed well away from the glorious hotspots of the city of lights. But the business end of it has been moved to the famous site of the French Open tennis tournament, on the very court that Novak Djokovic won his gold medal 48 hours beforehand. The old place never rocked like this.
Harrington’s was the last fight of the night and when a third of the stadium cleared out after hordes of Algerian fans celebrated seeing their fighter Imane Khelif through to the 66kg final, you wondered would there be much of an atmosphere left by the time her final came around. The Irish crowd gave their answer, loud and lusty. It was borderline feral by the time the bell went and it never relented.
Harrington came out and won the first two rounds, helpfully taking the drama out of it for the rest of us. The Chinese boxer won the third round on four of the judges’ cards but by then it didn’t matter. Harrington couldn’t be denied.
When it was over, she danced around the ring like a kid, her boxing life in the rearview mirror, her civilian life already under way. May she enjoy every day of it.
