Kellie Harrington: A hero with humility

She has been adamant that her time in Japan won’t define her. That her journey isn’t over. Win or lose, she was going back to work part-time on the wards at St Vincent’s Hospital

Kellie Harrington of Ireland reacts after defeating Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in their women's lightweight final bout at the Kokugikan Arena during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

In the end, nothing became the Irish story at these Olympic Games so much as the way it ended.

There is no way of compartmentalising an experience so sprawling and varied as this into a tidy synopsis. There were 116 Irish athletes on show here, plus reserves, but there was a very clear sense up to yesterday that the first week had provided most meat to the stew.