Kellie Harrington wrote her way into the history books in Tokyo this morning, as she overcame Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in stunning fashion by unanimous decision in the Women’s Light final.
Harrington came into the bout having never met the Brazilian before, and Ferreira had proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in Tokyo, defeating all who came before her in style. In the opening round, she just had the edge on Harrington, taking the judges scoring 3-2, but Harrington came out in force to win rounds two and three clear, and to go on to be crowned Olympic champion by unanimous decision and secure Ireland’s fourth medal of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
“I’m not afraid of failure and I’m not afraid of losing,” Harrington said afterwards. “So I suppose once you’re not afraid of that, then anything is possible.
“I don’t know what it means [to be Olympic champion], to be honest. It hasn’t sunk in yet, I’ve just won a fight, like one fight. Each fight is one fight…This won’t sink in until I get home, until I see my family.”
Elsewhere, Kevin Seaward fared the best of the Irishmen in this morning’s marathon, finishing in 58th position in a time of 2:21:45. His teammate Paul Pollock crossed the line in 71st, stopping the clock at 2:27:48, while there was disappointment for the third Irishman, Stephen Scullion, who had to withdraw from the race before the halfway mark.
Cyclist Emily Kay finished 13th in the Women’s Omnium in her Olympic debut at the Izu Velodrome today. Kay was the last rider to take to the boards for Team Ireland cyclists and finished the four-race event with a total of 56 points.
