Kellie: Medal win is the best feeling ever
Pride and emotion on podium for driven Harrington
THE ST MARY’S boxing club was out in force at Dublin Airport yesterday to welcome home newly-crowned champion Kellie Harrington and the Irish squad from the 10th AIBA World Women’s Elites in New Delhi, India.
Harrington, who boxes out of the St Mary’s BC in Dublin, topped the lightweight podium at the 10th edition of the tournament after beating Thailand’s Sudaporn Seesondee on a 3-2 split decision at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Saturday.
‘To stand on top of that podium and have our flag raised above my head yesterday was just so emotional for me, the best feeling ever,’ said the Dubliner who claimed silver at light-welter at the 2016 World Elites.
‘Kellie boxed incredibly well and to be welcoming home a world champion is absolutely fantastic. I’ve been involved in boxing for a long time, but Kellie’s achievement sticks out,’ said Noel Burke, Harrington’s club coach.
‘She has incredible drive. She wants to be better every time she steps in the ring, every tournament, every training session. She’s an incredible athlete.’
Ireland, with Zaur Antia and Dmitry Dimitruk in the corner and Bernard Dunne as Irish team manager in India, finished in sixth spot in the medals table at the 72-nation tournament.
The USA, under ex-Irish head coach Billy Walsh, claimed three bronze and finished 14th, while ex-Irish coach Eddie Bolger won the Best Coach Award with Germany.
Saturday’s victory was Harrington’s fifth in eight days and arrived almost 12 years to the day since Katie Taylor won the same light-weight title for the first time on November 23, 2006 in New Delhi.
Taylor, who has since turned pro, tweeted her congtaultaions to Harrington, insisting that all her hard work had paid off.
Harrington, Taylor and Michael Conlan are the only Irish boxers to claim AIBA World gold, with Taylor winning five of those belts between 2006 and 2014.
Conlan believes that Harrington, the only Irish boxer to win two world medals at different weights, is a major talent.
‘How fantastic is it that we have a lightweight world champion in the amateurs and a lightweight world champion (Katie Taylor) in the pros?’ said the Belfast featherweight, whose Dublin-born dad, John Conlan, is an IABA High-Performance coach.
Harrington hailed her coaches in New Delhi and Ireland and admitted that fighting five times in eight days was demanding.
‘It has always been my dream to become a world champion. My focus has been brilliant — tactics, analysis, strength and conditioning, coaching, staying on track, never letting it drift off,’ she added.