Kellie Harrington will box for gold this coming Sunday after she put in a tough and gritty performance in her semi-final bout against Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee. Harrington took victory in the semi-final bout by a 3-2 split decision and has secured at the very least, a silver medal.
Portland Row this morning when Kellie Harrington won her fight
Her family and friends joy when Kellie secured her place in Sunday’s final
Gold is on its way to Portland Row pic.twitter.com/ZCeCgd8TwG— Gerry (@gerhewitt1) August 5, 2021
It was neck-and-neck throughout all three rounds but it was to be expected with the two fighters clashing in the 2018 World Championship final when Harrington clinched victory in another tight affair.
In the opening two rounds, there was very little between the two. With so much on the line, the opening round was very cagey with both fighters weighing each other up and waiting to pounce. Harrington sat behind her jab and the judges gave her the opening round 3-2.
It was a similar story in the second round. The Thai boxer tried to force the action early in the round and landed a couple of straight rights but once again it was cagey and a difficult round to score.
Heading into the final bout, Harrington was leading 3-2 on the scorecards. Patience was key for Harrington and it paid off in the third. She kept her composure against the tricky southpaw, to maintain her 3-2 lead and take the win. She has now secured a minimum of an Olympic silver medal, and will box for gold this coming Sunday in the Women’s Light (57-60kg) Olympic final.
'Regardless of the colour of the medal, to have the support of the people back home, to put a smile on the nation's face'@kelly64kg is thinking of those at home after win#tokyo2020 #RTESport #boxing
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/SCtsUOcA5U
📱 Updates – https://t.co/Q8rz8T2O5t pic.twitter.com/Sag2k6joMG— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2021
“Close fight. I knew it was going to be a chess match,” Harrington said afterwards.
“I fought her in 2018 in the World Final. It was tricky then, it was a chess match then, and it was a chess match today. She didn’t want to give anything, I didn’t want to give anything, but eventually someone had to.
"It was patience that was key, I kept my patience and she didn’t. And that’s what won me the fight. The coaches were in the corner telling me, ‘stay patient’ and giving me tactics to throw and it worked.”
Reflecting on how it feels to be through to an Olympic final and have a silver medal secured she continued, “It’s fantastic. Olympic silver medallist. That’s the stuff that people dream about. Many tried to get there, many don’t have what it takes to succeed because they don’t have the willpower, the determination, the focus, the dedication. I eat, sleep and breathe boxing. I’ve had heartbreak. I know what it is to fail and I know how hard it is to pick yourself back up after that.
"This is why I am who I am, and why I am here today – because I’m not afraid of failure. I know what it is. I’m Kellie Harrington. I’m myself and I make my own pathway.”
Kellie will face off against Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in the Women’s Light Olympic final at 6am Irish time on Sunday.
Diving
Team Ireland diver Tanya Watson closed out our Tokyo 2020 aquatic schedule on Thursday morning with 15th place overall in 10m Platform, having made the semi-final on her Olympic debut.
The 19-year-old, with roots in Derry, posted the second highest score of her senior career on Wednesday to get through to the next round, and showed the same professionalism and composure in a challenging semi-final.
Her five dives ranged in difficulty from 2.8 to 3.2, with her most difficult dives performed first and last. In the first dive, Watson performed a back 2 ½ somersaults, 1 ½ twists with a difficulty level of 3.2. Her score of 64.00 points was up by 1.6 points from yesterday’s same dive and left her sitting comfortably in 9th position with four dives to follow.
This was followed by a forward 3 ½ somersaults for her second dive, scoring 63.00, an impressive six points higher than yesterday’s dive and one of Watson’s best executions of that particular dive this year. Watson’s third dive - a back 2 ½ somersaults - was her lowest scoring dive on 39.15 points to move her down to 15th position, where she also remained after her fourth dive - a reverse 2 ½ somersaults. Her final dive was an inward 3 ½ somersaults, which had a difficulty of 3.2 and she scored 56.00. She rounded out the day with 278.15 points for 15th.
Speaking after her performance Watson said: “Making the semi-finals was amazing. To be able to go out there again and dive was great. I just love flying through the air! I was nervous up there a bit, but at the end of the day, once I am at the end of the board, I am focusing on something specific so I am just trying to do the best that I can with that really.”
Tokyo 2020: 'I was just so overjoyed to be there' - Tanya Watson reflects on her Olympics experience #olympics #tokyo2020 #RTESport
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ
📱 Report – https://t.co/H2SbGY2UM4 pic.twitter.com/56Tn9AMoHU— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2021
Modern Pentathlon
Natalya Coyle has made a blistering start in her third Olympic Games, as she currently sits in third place, primed for a full day of action tomorrow.
Coyle racked up a total of 238 points after 23 victories and 12 defeats in today's ranked fencing round.
The Meath woman will return to action tomorrow morning at 6:48am Irish time as she gets started with the 200M swimming freestyle. She will then compete with a second round of fencing, show jumping and an individual laser run concluding the competition.
"I was really consistent and I'm absolutely buzzing after that," Coyle enthused when interview by RTÉ Sport.
"We've a good bit of rest now. Tomorrow I get to fence again and I'm really confident in my physicals. They've been really good and I've done some consistent training. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."
'I'm absolutely buzzing after that. I think I'm 90% adrenaline, 10% caffeine'
Natalya Coyle is delighted as she is tied third after fencing event today #modernpentathlon #olympics #tokyo2020 #ireland
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/BjyJKrGcju
📱 Updates – https://t.co/DMXbyiGFtE pic.twitter.com/V9R5AGugya— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2021
