AN ‘overwhelmed’ Kellie Harrington couldn’t hold back the tears after guaranteeing herself an Olympic bronze medal.
The Irish boxer secured a place in the lightweight semi final after a unanimous decision victory over Algeria’s Imane Khelif.
Kellie Harrington after her win
Harrington has secured bronze
Harrington will now go on to face Thai fighter Sudaporn Seesondee on Thursday morning for a place in the Olympic final.
And she was overcome with emotion afterwards after ‘lifting a small bit of a nation’.
She told RTE: “I’m overwhelmed with emotions at the moment. Sometimes you think of getting here, I never think of getting medals or anything.
“Sometimes I think I’m lucky, I can’t be that lucky to be winning all these things and end up here and have a bronze medal in my bag from the Olympic games.
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“Everything that I’ve achieved I owe to Noel Burke, my club coach back home, and these men and the rest of the Irish high performance team.
“Not only this I owe it to my team mates as well for the sparring and preparation, all the support they’ve given me here and we give each other. It’s just been fantastic.
“The support I’m getting from the community back home, I’ve heard that it’s lit back home.
“I’m just so happy and my emotions really come when it comes to this because to be able to give them something to be happy and sing and dance for.
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“I’m just one person lifting a little bit of a nation.
“Hakuna Matata it means no worries for the rest of your days. That’s what I say and that’s what the Lion King says.”
Harrington always looked to be in control of the fight and took the result on all five of the judges’ scorecards.