Lightweight boxer, Kellie Harrington, put in a masterclass performance in Tokyo this morning against a tricky opponent in Imane Khelif of Algeria. Harrington took victory by unanimous decision and has guaranteed at least a bronze medal from these Games.
Despite a good opening minute from Khelif, Harrington got the measure of her quickly and from the midway point of the opening round, dominated the remainder of proceedings. Harrington will now face Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee in the semi-final on Thursday with the prospect of upgrading the bronze medal.
Speaking after the fight, Harrington said, "It wasn’t a spectacular fight, but this is what champions do, champions just do enough when they need to win and that’s exactly what happened there today. I did enough to get the bout, I wasn’t going inside the pocket to be caught or anything. It was good, I enjoyed it.
“To be honest, I don’t feel pressure about medals or anything like that because at the end of the day, I’m just here to perform and give my best,” she continued.
“She’s definitely good enough to win this competition.”
Eric Donovan and Kenny Egan praised Kellie Harrington's composed performance as she guaranteed herself an Olympic medal. #RTESport #Tokyo2020 #boxinghttps://t.co/Yt2CTq8Mci pic.twitter.com/Ac36p80G2L— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 3, 2021
Dublin born Harrington is now guaranteed at least a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as she put in a gritty performance this morning against Imane Khelif of Algeria in the Women’s Light (57-60kg) quarter final.
Khelif had the edge in the opening minute of the first round, with her long rangy jabs and reach seeing her settle in quickly. Harrington quickly got the measure of her though and, by the end of the round, was given a 4-1 advantage going into the second by the judges.
A measured performance followed from the Dubliner, as she put the pressure back on Khelif throughout the second and third rounds, to take home the win by unanimous decision and secure her spot in the semi-finals where she will face Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand on Thursday.
Team Ireland Leader for Boxing, Bernard Dunne said: “It was a very controlled performance. It was a very awkward opponent, but Kellie figured her out quite quickly. The tactical plan going in, that was worked on over the last couple of days, worked to a tee. It’s great to get past the next step, great to move forward. I’m delighted for Kellie, it’s a well-earned medal.
Looking ahead to her semi-final on Thursday he added: “We faced this opponent before in the World Championships two years ago. Kellie came out on top in that and I know that’s a different contest, but we’ll review the opponent this evening and tomorrow and we’ll have a plan in place. We’ve only been looking at the Algerian opponent over the last couple of days because we’re taking it step-by-step - but we’re on to step number three now for Kellie.
“Our team has performed exceptionally well - all seven athletes. You can see the preparation that has been done, the work that the support team has done, and the coaches. It’s been a hugely challenging tournament but the performances have been top notch. There’s a couple of close decisions that we didn’t get but you’re going home with two medals, when seven qualified. There’s huge potential within this squad still and it’s great to be a part of it.”
