'Exhausting and amazing': Harrington reflects on fight of her life

Ireland’s Kellie Harrington celebrates with her gold medal at the Kokugikan Arena. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane

To put "our little nation" on the map by bringing home gold in the lightweight boxing final in Tokyo is the stuff of dreams for Kellie Harrington. 

Standing on the Olympic stage in Japan on Sunday morning as the Irish flag was raised, Ireland’s freshly minted Gold medalist was overcome with tears.

“I’m on the biggest stage that I have ever been on in my life,” she said, speaking afterward.

“There’s not many people who get to stand on that stage and watch [their] country’s flag go up with the national anthem playing, there’s not many countries who get that. I’m just so happy and honored and relieved also, mostly relieved to be honest with you, because of all the hard work.

"It is tough. It's very, very tough and exhausting, and just to be able to show that I work so hard and this is why I work so hard. It's just amazing.” 

When asked if going pro is next for her, Harrington said she wouldn’t rule anything out but first, she needs “a little break”.

“I’m just taking it step by step. I need a little break now anyway because it's just been a long road, and it's been an extra year and an extra unexpected year,” she told RTÉ.

So I don't know yet what I'm going to do. We're just going to take some time to assess the situation really and take it from there but I wouldn't rule anything out.

She wasn’t worried about the punishing first round which saw her caught off-balance by her opponent Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil.

“I was just so happy to be in the fight of my life. I was buzzing, I was like ‘this is some fight like, this is great.’

“I knew I needed to win the second round but going into it I was also thinking ‘this is the Olympic final, this is anybody’s fight.’ I just gave what I had, and thankfully what I had was enough.

“That was an incredible fight." 

Thanking the country for its support on her road to Olympic success, Harrington also encouraged anyone interested in boxing, but who might have doubts or nerves, to push through.

“We've had an awful year and clubs have been closed and people might feel that they've missed out on a year and might not end up going back to the club,” she said.

“But you never lose what you had. You might just lose fitness and sharpness but that will come back to you so I just would encourage anybody just to step back through the doors and anybody who wants to try it, get down and try it out.

Once you try it, you'll fall in love. It becomes family. Everyone becomes family because everyone wants the same thing and the practice is great and there's a bit of banter all the time.

She also praised the country’s boxing coaches, most of whom are volunteers, for their dedication to the sport.

“It's never too late to step through the doors either," she added. 

"I didn't start till I was 14 or 15, and some people would say that’s quite late. It's never late to get into sport, it's never late to start exercising.” 

"So always go for it and that's what anything in life, whether it be sport or anything outside of sport, doesn't really matter, go for it like.

“If you want something, chase it and dedicate everything you have to until you get there. And look, if you get there, great. If you don't, at least you've given everything and you'll enjoy the journey trying to get there.”