Kellie Harrington makes it back to back boxing Sports Women of the Month Awards
It’s back-to-back Sports Woman of the month wins for boxing, as Kellie Harrington was confirmed as the Irish Times Sports Woman of June.
The Dubliner was awarded the accolade a month after Katie Taylor won the gong in May.
The St Mary’s BC fighter was rewarded for qualifying for Olympics via some sensational performances in the European Olympic qualifiers.
Harrington was one of three Irish boxing women to secure passage to Tokyo and one of 55 Irish females to reach the Games across all sport but the lightweight fighters was deemed the standout.
The Sheriff street native not only qualified for the delayed Tokyo Games but won the tournament outright and accounted for some quality operators along the way.
Victories over reigning IBF super featherweight world champion Maiva Hamadouche and rising Team GB start Caroline Dubois were particularly standout and earmarked the World Amateur Championship gold medal winner as a genuine medal hope.
Speaking on her displays the Irish Times said: “When sport came to a grinding halt last year, Harrington was our first sportswoman to earn a monthly award for her contributions to life outside the ring, the Dubliner’s work at St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview, as well as her involvement in a campaign to help people deal with both the physical and mental impact of the Covid crisis, saluted.
“Through it all, she carried on training in her homemade gym, only one thing on her mind: qualifying for the Olympics when boxing returned. Come June of this year, it was mission accomplished when she beat reigning IBF super featherweight world champion Maiva Hamadouche in the quarter-finals of the Olympic qualifier in Paris to book her place in Tokyo.
“And just to complete what proved to be a perfect week, she went on to win gold, beating Britain’s Caroline Dubois on a 4-1 split decision in the final of the 60kg division.
An outstanding performance it was too, against a highly rated opponent 11 years her junior, Harrington’s emotions spilling over when her arm was raised in victory, her success coming after a hugely difficult few years during which she had to battle repeated injuries and subsequent surgeries.”
