Harrington retires from boxing after retaining Olympic crown

Kellie Harrington, aged 34, secured her victory against Yang Wenlu, 33, from China, by a split decision in the lightweight final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

This triumph allowed her to retain her title and marked her as the first Irish boxer to achieve consecutive gold medals. Following her win, Harrington announced her retirement from the sport.

"This is my final act; I am finished. I have always expressed my desire to retire as a champion, and now I have fulfilled that," Harrington stated to the Irish national broadcaster RTE.

"This victory serves as an inspiration for all the young individuals, especially the teenagers (gesturing towards the audience). It brings hope to the people of Ireland, but this win was particularly for me."

The two bronze medals were awarded to Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira and Taiwan's Wu Shih-Yi, who were defeated in their semi-final matches against Harrington and Yang, respectively.

Harrington, a former world champion, showcased her skills with a decisive victory over Tokyo silver medalist Beatriz Ferreira in the semi-finals. She had previously faced Yang in the light welterweight final at the 2016 World Championships in Kazakhstan, where she was defeated. However, eight years later and competing in a different weight class, Harrington proved to be a formidable opponent.

She dominated the first two rounds with relative ease, utilizing her exceptional footwork and landing effective shots from a distance. In an effort to conclude her amateur career on a high note, Harrington adopted a more aggressive strategy in the final round, which led to her losing that round, although the overall outcome was already secured.

A jubilant Harrington, cheered on by a throng of Irish supporters at Court Philippe-Chatrier, embraced her coaches in her corner before kneeling in the ring and striking the mat in celebration.