Three years on from Tokyo and Kellie Harrington is back boxing in an Olympic final, as she takes on Wenlu Yang from China in tonight's gold-medal decider in Paris.
The Dubliner is setting new standards for Irish amateur boxing as her voyage takes her on unchartered waters in the nation’s most successful Olympic sport.
There have been gold medals before - Harrington landed atop the podium in Tokyo while Katie Taylor and Michael Carruth reached the pinnacle of the sport at London 2012 and Barcelona 1992 respectively.
And there was that solitary occasion where an Irish boxer won back-to-back Games medals as Belfast flyweight Paddy Barnes secured bronze in Beijing in 2008 and again in London four years later.
Harrington is now on a quest to make it consecutive gold medals as she steps into the ring this evening, and judging by her performances thus far, at the Games and throughout the past 12 months, she has every chance.
Winning gold in Tokyo was a life-changing experience for Harrington, and like every Olympic champion, getting used to such a scenario took time, and no doubt, its fair share of toil.
Harrington had big decisions to make following her Tokyo success in both her boxing life and her personal plan.
Whether to hang up the gloves, whether to turn towards the paid ranks of the professional game, or whether to box on and plan for Paris?
Harrington chose the latter, and while there have been some well documented speed bumps along the way, a house renovation, and a marriage, the genial Portland Row fighter understandably took the road less travelled.
But all roads eventually led to Paris, and 12 months ago in Poland, when Harrington won the European Games and with it a ticket to the Olympics, it was abundantly clear that the Tokyo champ was back in business.
With a year to prepare for the Games, Harrington’s only hiccup was losing the world championship semi-finals, and she arrived into Paris with a look of steely determination.
Happiness appears to be the key to the second coming of Harrington as she openly admitted that when she is happy, she performs at her best.
And it was fairly evident that it’s been a happy Harrington at the Games thus far, with comprehensive unanimous decision victories to secure the medal and progress to the semi-finals.
Widely remarked that Harrington looked back to her best in those opening outings, however, that could be doing the champion a disservice.
Arguably, this is the best that Harrington has ever been, and that claim could certainly be backed up as she went head to head with Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira in the semis in what was a repeat of the Tokyo gold medal bout.
Ferreira is currently boxing as a professional, moving up to the paid ranks since Tokyo, and has already secured a world title - Katie Taylor's vacated IBF strap - and Harrington made her look average in two of the three rounds, while the Brazilian’s only angle was to revert to a brawling style when she could not live with Harrington’s superior boxing intelligence and execution.
The Brazillian was also lacking the energy levels that were in abundance from the red corner as Harrington’s conditioning appears to be perfected for Paris.
Kellie Harrington is through to another Olympic final! 🥊
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 3, 2024
What a performance as she beats Beatriz Ferreira in a thrilling fight, guaranteeing at least a silver medal. #Boxing #RTESport #Paris2024
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And so to the final.
The boxing has been taking place at Arena Paris Nord, which is located 30 kilometres north of Paris, however, the boxers are getting the superstar treatment for finals night as they will compete at the iconic Roland Garros, home of the French Open tennis grand slam event.
And Harrington will again have to be at her best to take another gold medal as she steps into the ring with China’s Yang, who defeated Shih Yi Wu from Chinese Taipei in the semis.
Yang also dispatched Serbia’s Natalia Shadrina in the quarter finals; the Serbian fighter who inflicted that shock defeat on Harrington in the semis of the European Championships earlier this year.
But that all goes out the window for the big one in the heart of Paris as Harrington faces the number one seed in the 60kg category tonight.
Yang is a classy operator, leading with a strong left arm, and is well able to mix it up, boxing nicely off the back foot, while also happy to trade leather in the centre of the ring.
There are elements of Katie Taylor in her style when she does move forward, happy to unleash quick combinations with plenty of power behind the shots, while she is also happy to work the body to open up her opponent.
If there were any flaws in her style, they are hard to spot; the Chinese fighter does leave herself open as she comes in and was caught several times in her semi-final bout by a stylish boxer who just wasn’t landing often enough to sway the judges.
Harrington and the coaching team will have a plan for Yang, who is quite predictable with her style, as she rarely strays from technique and tactics which are both stylish and proactive, which will please most judges.
The reigning champion will also do a bit of adapting herself inside the ring as the fight progresses, something that can really work to her advantage as she mixes things up, switching stances regularly to keep her opponents guessing.
The final should provide a real quality spectacle and is unlikely to turn into a brawl in the opening rounds. It should really showcase the best of Olympic boxing as the number one seed and the reigning champion come face to face.
Harrington is set to bid adieu to the Games after tonight’s final, and whether she departs with gold or silver around her neck, it matters little when it comes to the mark that the Dubliner has left on the amateur game.
Watch the 2024 Olympic Games with 14 hours of televised action on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player each day. Listen to extensive radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 and 2fm's Game On and follow each moment from Paris on RTÉ.ie, the RTÉ News app and all RTÉ digital platforms. Listen to the daily RTÉ Sport Olympics Podcast.
