Kellie Harrington is an unusual boxing champion. She is passionate only about the amateur version of her pro-dominated sport, and she has long claimed to have no ambitions of being paid to fight.
Minutes after she stepped onto the podium at Court Philippe Chatrier to have her second gold medal hung around her neck Tuesday night, Harrington announced her retirement from boxing. The money to be made from being a two-time Olympic gold medalist in a passionate fight nation like Ireland still isn’t enough for Harrington to change her plans after her magical run at the Paris Games.
“I’m done and dusted,” Harrington said. “I’m going to go out a champion. That’s the way I want to go out. I don’t want to go out and lose a fight and then retire. I’ll retire happy.”
Harrington is the first Irish woman to win gold medals at two Olympics, and she is just one of four Irish athletes to retain an Olympic title. After winning three years ago in Tokyo, she clinched her second gold with a remarkable charge through the Paris field, capped by her 4-1 victory over China’s Yang Wenlu at Roland Garros.
Harrington pressured Yang more than enough to get the victory despite losing the third round. The champion’s most impressive win in Paris likely was in the semifinals, when she spectacularly outboxed Brazilian IBF lightweight champion Beatriz Ferreira, whose physicality and aggression had made her look like a gold-medal favourite.
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Harrington isn’t the fastest or the most powerful woman in the lightweight division, but she might be the best ever to fight at the weight in the four Olympics with women’s boxing.
“It has been four fights with absolutely fantastic opponents,” Harrington said. “Everyone who is here is the best of the best. Everyone deserves respect.”
Harrington’s final drew thousands of Irish fans to the famed tennis arena where she clinched her gold. They waved flags, chanted her name and generally put on a party while their improbable boxing hero got her final job done.
“To have the support of the nation. It is just amazing,” Harrington said. “The people here today lifted me. They made me feel like I wasn’t tired and I was exhausted.”
Harrington danced in the ring after her victory, clearly thrilled to be fighting in front of her frenzied fans instead of in the mostly empty Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo three years ago.
Harrington has repeatedly said she’s done with boxing after Paris, and her retirement emphasizes the close of a singular career.
Yet she jokingly hedged last week after beating Ferreira, saying, “Well, if the money was really, really good.”
