Emotional Kellie Harrington defeats Team GB star to win gold

Kellie Harrington will bring home a gold medal as well as her ticket to Tokyo from Paris after yet another impressive performance in the European Qualifiers today.

The Dubliner won the lightweight final with victory over Team GB’s rising star Caroline Dubois to secure a top of the podium finish.

The St Mary’s BC fighter had just too much experience, guile and class for a fighter with a bright future. The 2019 World Championships gold medal winner earned a 4-1 split decision victory over a fighter she could well meet in the latter stages in Tokyo.

Harrington opted to box southpaw for the duration of this contest and controlled the tempo and terms of the bout from the opening bell.

The No. 2 seed in Paris found the target with a wide variety of punches throughout and while Dubois came into the fight in the last round the outcome was never in doubt with Harrington winning rounds one and two.

Emotion perfectly captured as @Kelly64kg celebrates winning gold at the European Boxing Road To Tokyo Qualifier in France this afternoon #RoadToTokyo pic.twitter.com/zOouY72O7W

— Inpho Photography (@Inphosports) June 8, 2021

Despite already securing the main prize on offer in France – a seat on the plane to the Olympic Games in Tokyo – Harrington was visibly emotional after winning gold, possibly allowing herself to leave fight mode for the first time since she landed in Paris.

The win will improve Harrington’s seeding for the Tokyo Olympics and she goes into the Games with recent wins over two serious medal contenders in Dubois and Maiva Hamaddouche.

Meanwhile, Michaela Walsh will be in action at 5pm today versus Italy’s Irma Testa.

Photo Creidit INPHO

European Olympic Qualifiers Paris, France

June 8th

Finals

60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Caroline Dubois (Great Britain) 4-1
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Irma Testa (Italy)

June 7th

Box off

81kg Emme Brennan beat Liridon Nuhan Sweden) 5-0

S/Finals

75kg Lauren Price (Team GB) beat Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) 5-0
69kg Pat McCormack (Team GB) beat Aidan Walsh (Ireland) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Stanimira Petrova (BUlgaria) 3-2
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Yildiz Tsra (Turkey) 5-0

June 6th

Quarter-finals

57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Stephanie Thour (Sweden) 5-0
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Yevheni Barabandy (Ukraine) 3-2

June 5th

Last 16

63kg George Bates (Ireland) lost to Javid Chalabiyev (Azerbaijan) 2-3
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) lost to Emanual Reyes (Spain) 0-5
91+kg Gytis Lisinskas (Ireland) lost to Peter Belberov (BUlgaria) 0-5

Quarter finals
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) beat Elzbieta Wojik (Poland) 5-0
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Gabriel Escobar (Spain) 0-5
81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) lost to Luka Plantic (Croatia) 0-5
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Maiva Hamaddouche (France) 5-0

June 4

Last 16

75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) beat Viktoriya Kebikava (Belarus) 5-0
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Wahid Hambli (France) 4-1
81kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) beat Uke Smajli (Switzerland) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Mona Mestian (France) 4-1
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Aneta Rygielska (Poland) 5-0