Irish Examiner view: Harrington's win caps an exceptional week for Irish sport

At one point, Ireland was positioned above some notable sporting superpowers in the medals table, including the likes of Sweden, Spain, and Brazil — an incredible achievement for such a small country

Kellie Harrington’s win was history in plain sight, an incredible achievement. Picture: Ryan Byrne

Kellie Harrington’s gold medal victory on Tuesday evening has already become a universal memory for people in Ireland, a “remember where you were when” moment for practically the entire population of the country.

That is no exaggeration — the official number of people watching her lightweight final bout on RTÉ topped out at 1.37m viewers, or 83% of the available audience. Little wonder. Harrington’s win was history in plain sight, an incredible achievement.