Ireland's double Olympic champion Kellie Harrington has confirmed that she has retired from boxing.
The 34-year-old, who retained her lightweight title by beating China's Wenlu Yang in the final in Paris on Tuesday night, had indicated that she would hang up her gloves and confirmed the news on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning.
"I know now, that's it, done, dusted and what a way to go out," she told Morning Ireland.
"The fact that I know that I am now done, and the fact that I am finishing this way [is great], 'cos a lot of the time people don't know when to finish, and I'm happy that I am making that decision to finish it this way, my way, and go out as a double Olympic champion.
"That's it, that was it, done, dusted, I've nothing more to prove, not even to myself, which is the most important thing."
As well as two Olympic gold medals, the Dubliner won the World Championship in 2018, the European Championship in 2022, and the European Games in 2023.
She also spoke about the aftermath of her bout at Roland Garros on Tuesday night.
"I had to go an do anti-doping so you have to get tested, which is great," she said.
"It's absolutely vital that everyone gets tested.
"So we didn’t get out of there till two o’clock and then we went and had a McDonalds, but it was like a 'meet and greet' in McDonalds.
"It was just loads of French people but it was really great. I didn’t get a wink of sleep until last night so from five o’clock of the [Tuesday] morning I weighed in until half eleven last night I hadn’t slept.
"I was like a zombie walking around the Olympic Village.
"I was delighted to see [my wife] Mandy, we got her into the Olympic Village on a day pass so she got to experience that as well.
"[My phone is] hopping. There are just so many people and I’ll be forever grateful for all the support, from at home and from people out here as well. It’s actually a bit overwhelming as well."
Harrington’s first Olympic gold medal came at the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, which were held under pandemic restrictions, and she stressed how important having supporters in the venue in Paris was to her.
"So different. I've never boxed in front of a crowd that big and I always thought that if I did I'd be really nervous and I wouldn't perform," she said.
"But it was totally the opposite. They lifted me, they gave me that bit of a lift when I needed it. I'll be forever grateful for that."
She added: "To get to the Olympics is a mountain in itself, and then when you get there and to set foot on a podium is a massive mountain.
"But then to see your nation’s flag at the top of the podium, that’s just special, 'cos there’s not many people in the world who get to do it and I’ve done it twice now.
"I hadn't been emotional thinking of the impact that it's had on people, I was more emotional thinking, thank God, it's done, but when I watched the videos... it kind of set in, it’s an amazing feeling."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Asked about what’s next following retirement, Harrington said: "I don’t know. I still have my [part-time cleaning] job but they are knocking that hospital down bit by bit so who knows?
"I’ve only started to think of that in the last two hours.
"I’m relieved to be done with the scales but I’ll always train because I believe that training helps me with my mental health, helps me to release those good endorphins and to feel good about myself.
"I’ll be hanging around the Sport [Ireland] institute, they are not going to get rid of me that easy.
"I feel like I have a lot of stuff that I can pass on to other athletes, so I want to do that."
