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KELLIE HARRINGTON SUCCESSFULLY defended her Olympic lightweight (60kg) title tonight, beating China’s Yang Wenlu at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
Harrington won all of her fights on the way to the final against Yang, defeating her Tokyo 2020 final opponent, Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira, in the semi-final.
She won her title bout on split decision
The win makes Harrington the first Irish woman, and first Irish boxer, to defend an Olympic title.
In a statement, Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated Harrington, saying she has “inspired us all, young and old”.
“We are not only proud of you for becoming a double Olympic champion, but for how you carry yourself as a person and represent our country with distinction.”
A live screening of the fight was held at Diamond Park in Dublin’s North Inner City, hosted by North East Inner City Initiative and Dublin City Council.
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Well done. . .did Ireland proud.
@Gemma Sexton: we were proud whether she won or lost..
@Sean: Woooosh….
@Sean: But we’re proud of her achievement in winning gold!
@Sean: Silly comment, Sean. Don’t criticize a benevolent comment.
@John P Doe: sad little man
@John P Doe: Yet she reached the pinnacle of her sport, some bitter little people here
@John P Doe: what a sad and bigoted comment.
@John P Doe: With a 25 mm mickey .
@John P Doe: so you like giving 12inces to men now but you don’t like women boxing!!
@John P Doe: you are delusional just like Walter Mitty ….. or is it William slevin, or Fintan pox or ulysses, or exhausted jim. Pathetic.
Brilliant well-done my beauty, Ireland is proud
She done her LGBT people proud I think you meant
@D. Peado:
@John P Doe: Back to sleep lad.
@9QRixo8H: You are an awful gob .$hite
The Dublin inner city girl making, the whole of Ireland proud again. Class act .
@Paul Gorry: and now for the fight to fill Croke park, northside Vs southside, Kellie Vs Katie
@P. V. Aglue: Katie is from Bray
@orb7eckn: Bray is south of the Liffey :-D A bit of license I know!
@orb7eckn: it’s still south side of Dublin
@P. V. Aglue: ph dear jeebus
@orb7eckn: More than likely born in Holles St so technically she is a Southsider. I was born in Loughlinstown, reared in Bray but my passport says Dublin. Let the fight commence!
@Fiona Wyse: my son was born there, he definitely isn’t a southsider.
@P. V. Aglue: But the Northside of Bray.
@Fiona Wyse: Not going to happen, everyone turns into a boxing affecianado after watching one fight.
Brilliant performance, delighted for her !
She’s a legend!!! So happy to see her do this!!!!
Amazing
Fantastic achievement
All of our medals were special but Kellie’s performance and celebrations were the highlight of the Games for me. Absolutely outstanding, she totally dismantled that Chinese girl, in an Olympic final
@Ronan McGrath: was it a girl even?
Brilliant celebration afterwards shows how much it means to her. Well done,first Irish sole Olympic athlete to win back to back gold medals
@Larry Betts: not true, Pat O’Callaghan won Gold in 1928 and 1932
@Larry Betts:
We had someone with 3 golds and a bronze, well for a short while anyway…
@Regular John: Still has them bud ,but didn’t do it twice ,stay with us…
@Eoghan Ryan: Apologies Eoghan. That’s what I thought the commentators said,maybe they said the first woman.
@Gerry Campbell:
Won them by cheating, banned from competing for 4 years and nobody said she won them back to back …
@Larry Betts: Paul Donovan
@Regular John: She did not win them by cheating John, was never proven, medals were never stripped. The American swimmer who accused her of cheating was actually proven to be doping however.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: it wasn’t just the American swimmer who called her out. Many people, including other swimmers did. There were few who didn’t believe she had cheated and when she was banned two years later for adulterated samples their suspicions were confirmed.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: her dutch husband was banned for doping too, personally I don’t count them but you’re right too.
@Gerry Campbell: one other athlete has done it twice though. That doesn’t diminish Kellie’s achievement though. Stay with us Gerry.
Congratulations, Kellie, a brilliant victory. Back to back gold medalist!
JOY, Kellie you are magnificent.
Leaving amateur boxing on a high note. Congrats Kellie, Ireland is so proud of you. Well deserved. You fought for this! #irishlegend
Brilliant – what a way to retire,well done Kelly
Never in doubt! … Legend
Never a doubt she’d retain it.
Kellie you’re a hero, congratulations
What a warrior
No words..absolutely brilliant
@Pat Winders: Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt!
@Alan Kennedy: and Goodnight, Irene!
Amazing, great stuff Kellie!!
Incredible athlete and a credit to Ireland.
History maker what an olympics for us
@Square:
History is for those who are willing to take the blows, not those who jèer and mock.
Achievement is all walks of life reminds us of what it takes the individual to get there with talent and effort. The reward is the privilege to exercise that talent.
Being a mob cheerleader doesn’t count.
@Gerald Kelleher: nice hair
Well done kelly we are so proud of you
A living legend brilliant Kellie
Well done, Kellie.
Away ye go kellie
Her joy was beautiful to see, she was literally deliriously happy!
Brilliant. Like boxing, hate violence.
@Gerald Kelleher: boxing is controlled and measured violence
@Gerald Kelleher: lovely hair
@Means Of Escape:
Many commenters love violence and can’t distinguish it from technical competition. I know this from sparring.
Violence is aggression for the sake of tribal dominance and a self-inflicted curse on humanity.
” In 500 years how the Anglo-saxon race will have spread & exterminated whole nations; & in consequence how much the Human race, viewed as a unit, will have risen in rank.” Darwin
I am competitive in a comment section full of spectators
@Square:
The only thing that is worthwhile is a generous heart, tenacity, and effort to demonstrate what is the best in humanity.
Olympic competitors, win or lose, show what is best in humanity, many commenters do not.
Something to judge yourselves with.
@Gerald Kelleher: What’s that got to do with your lovely hair, gerald?
@Paul Slorry: Ha ha ha ha such a funny guy Paul it must be so much fun being you
Yer deffo not right in the head Patrick. Cemere seek, help ASAP.
@Paul Gorry: haha your a weirdo
@Patrick K: You not handling the truth doesn’t make me a weirdo, Patrick. Very strange comment indeed..
Double Olympic champion!
Kellie well done well deserved
Well done
Congratulations, but boxing is red rotten ,split decision ,my heart ,but just turns out the Korean puppet just did what he/she was told ,red rotten but Kelly was sooooo good she beat the cheats …
@Gerry Campbell: after reading that my head feels like it went a round with Kellie.
A fantastic result for Kellie and Boxing Ireland. Let’s hope this starts proper funding and facilities for our athletes across the board and will see the benefits on the world stage.
@Spanner: Well after what happened last week, boxing will be dropped for the next Olympics!
She is amazing and has done her country and her community proud. There will be one hell of a celebration in the Liberties tonight and when she gets back home, wish I could be there.
@Máire K: certainly they’re partying in Summerhill tonight. The Liberties too, maybe. Brilliant win for her. I cried.
Great young Irish woman!
Congr.atulations kellie, what a credit you are to your sport and ireland. I hope you become am ambassador for the sport and a role model for younger people in ireland to take up sports.
Outstanding
Absolutely tremendous achievement, fair play Kelly, proud to be Irish, you are truly amazing, next stop for you is the Aras,
If the world was full of Kelly Harringtons what a wonderful world it would be.
Thanks
Mao Zedong, Xi Jinping, Jack Ma, Deng Xiaoping – your girl took one hell of a beating.
12th on the medals table, incredible stuff!
Fantastic, another foreigner gets battered by a Dublin North inner-city head, but in a good way this time we’ll done Kelly
@Allo Allo: stupid attempt to link a national hero to your narrow minded minority opinion
Class athlete. So proud of you Kellie
Another disaster for Ray Ridge. Sickening result
@anthony davoren: what?
@Patricia Dorney: Ray is the resident gambler here in the journal comments that never gets it right. Methinks
@anthony davoren: they dont know him on here thank god
Paul O’Donovan’s victory marks a historic achievement as he becomes the first Irish athlete ever to medal at three different Olympic Games. His accomplishments in Rio, Tokyo, and now Paris, set a new benchmark in Irish sporting history.
Nobody talking about this lad……. Maybe it’s because he’s not from Doubblin!
@Lulu: No, I seen plenty of articles, maybe you have a chip on your shoulder about Dublin
Brilliant well done kellie.
Bobs yer fanny
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