Kelly Harrington has been waiting all her life for the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in amateur boxing.
There are Irish Elite Championships, European Championships, European Championships, European Games and World Championships. In most of them she won a medal. But in the boxing world, the Olympics are the only thing that matters.
So, once every four years, the nation dedicates itself to boxing and estimates what happens inside the ring for two weeks.
Although 16 Irish boxers have won Olympic medals before these games, none of them have been able to live up to their Olympic achievements. No wonder Harrington refuses to know what will happen to the magnificent Kokugikan Arena in the next seven days.
If all goes according to plan, the 31-year-old will compete for the gold medal on Sunday morning.
But Harrington also understands the importance of life outside the Olympic bubble. She works at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview every weekend and mentions him in a post – fight interview after qualifying for the quarterfinals.
“Look, participating in the Olympics is a great achievement for me,” he said. “But if he does, it’s not just me as a boxer. I am Kelly Harrington, I am a tender person, I have a wonderful family and a great job at home. I want to say hello to everyone at St. Vincent’s Hospital, this is me. ‘
“It’s part of me and part of my journey through life. It’s not a destination. I do not know what I will do next.
“I only work every second weekend, so it’s great to share my time. It seems to me that you will never work when you work in the job you love. This is the way I see it. For me, work is very social. ”
For Kelly, leading a contented life outside the ring is just as important as keeping silverware inside. This balance between sports and life is essential for your well-being.
“Well, it worked for me, because in the end no one knew what boxing would do for them. So, you always need something outside of boxing. I’ve been telling a lot of people lately – you have to have a life outside of boxing because there is more to life than sports.
Anything can happen in sports, you need something you can count on, I’ll be back home when I get home from the Olympics
“I do my limited movements or whatever I have to do, and then I go back to work because I’m a person and that’s how I move.”
Harrington’s modesty and down-to-earth nature shine through in all his interviews. He never missed an opportunity to name his club manager Noel Burke or the local club St. Mary’s.
Currently, his focus is on Tuesday’s Light League quarter – final against Iman Khalif in Algeria.
Kelly told reporters that his last 16 fights were shown on Mixed Zone television on Friday.
But he refused to look at the screen. He trusts Sir Anita’s technical staff: his job is to follow the plan.
His last 16 matches against the mighty Italian Rebecca Nicole are an example. The two poles follow each other.
It was a question of who would break down and deal with it first. It takes a lot of discipline and confidence to perform, but Harrington did it well. Harrington grabbed her every time the Italian came forward.
20-year-old British promoter Caroline Dubois meets Sudapon Sisundi from Thailand. Along with Harrington and Khalif, both are in the first half of the draw.
Harrington gave Dubois a boxing education in the fight for the European Olympic qualifying gold medal in Paris last month, despite scoring a judge goal for Dubois.
But Sisondi is a factor in the ability of Dublin to overtake Harrington in his bid for the gold medal at the 2018 World Championships. But the possibility of a repeat of the semifinals here on Thursday cannot be ruled out.
But for Harrington, it’s about living in the moment. Some suspect that he did not consider the possibility of another fight with Finnish veteran Mira Potcon, who defeated Katy Taylor at the last Olympics.
Harrington’s priority is to advance to the quarter – finals on Tuesday morning. After winning the 2018 World Cup, he lived through one of the most difficult years of his career.
Kovid-19 did the same in 2020, while the injuries to both hands were wiped out in 2019.
Everything was in jeopardy in the Olympic qualification, which resumed in Paris in June. But seeing his patience paid off, he turned away from the field.
She arrived in Japan on June 30 for a pre-tournament retreat in Miyasaka and made her Olympic debut until July 30.
But now he is within walking distance of Taylor, winning at least one Olympic bronze medal.
Mathematically, these were the seven most important days of his life. But in her mind it was just another part of her journey through life.
Tokyo is not the end destination. Even if she comes home with or without a gold medal, Kelly Harrington, daughter of Portland Roy, will not change in Dublin’s northern downtown.
Travel fan. Freelance analyst. Proud problem solver. Infuriatingly humble zombie junkie.
