Kellie Harrington: quick facts
- From: Portland Row, in Dublin’s north inner city.
- Olympic gold medals: two. Tokyo 2020 (lightweight) and Paris 2024 (60kg).
- History made: the first Irish woman to win gold at two Olympic Games.
- The Paris final: a 4-1 win over China’s Yang Wenlu at Roland Garros, after which she announced her retirement.
- Day job: she famously worked as a cleaner at St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview while training.
On a summer night in Paris in 2024, in a boxing ring set up on the famous clay courts of Roland Garros, a woman from Dublin’s north inner city won her second Olympic gold medal, then told the world she was done. Ireland watched, cried and partied.
Who is Kellie Harrington?
Kellie Harrington grew up on Portland Row, close to Croke Park, in a part of Dublin better known for hardship than for Olympic champions. She found boxing as a teenager at the Corinthians Boxing Club and went on to win a world title in 2018.
What made her a national hero wasn’t just the medals. It was how down to earth she stayed. While she was training for the Olympics, she worked part-time as a cleaner at St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview, and she talked about it with pride. In interviews she was funny, honest and grounded, and the whole country fell for her.
Tokyo gold
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (held a year late because of the pandemic), Harrington won gold in the lightweight division. Back home, her neighbours on Portland Row decorated the street in green, white and orange and gathered around screens in the street to watch. When she came home, the welcome was huge.
Paris: doing it again
Retaining an Olympic title is one of the hardest things in sport, and very few Irish athletes have ever done it. In Paris, Harrington fought her way to the final in the 60kg category and beat China’s Yang Wenlu 4-1 at Roland Garros, becoming the first Irish woman to win Olympic gold at two Games.
Minutes after the medal was hung around her neck, she announced she was retiring from boxing, going out at the very top.
Kellie Harrington FAQ
How many Olympic gold medals has Kellie Harrington won?
Two: at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Where is Kellie Harrington from?
Portland Row, in Dublin’s north inner city.
Who did Kellie Harrington beat in the Paris 2024 final?
Yang Wenlu of China, 4-1.
More Irish sporting moments
- Rachael Blackmore’s Grand National
- Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden
- Shane Lowry’s Open at Royal Portrush
- Ireland v the All Blacks, Chicago 2016
- Ireland’s Call: why Irish rugby has two anthems
Featured image: still from the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
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