Ireland’s AIBA Women’s World Champion Kellie Harrington is grateful about her return and ready for London
09 March 2020Ireland’s top woman boxer Kellie Harrington is ready to deliver a quota and top results in the upcoming European Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event. Ireland’s boxing icon London 2012 Olympic Games winner and five-time AIBA Women’s World Champion Katie Taylor is not member of the team anymore but her replacement Kellie Harrington has the similar strong quality at the lightweight (60kg).
Kellie Harrington was named as the Best EUBC European Female Boxer in 2018 following her success at the New Delhi AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Ireland’s No.1 injured in the Minsk 2019 European Games but she recovered in time to get a spot for Tokyo. She claimed silver medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia a few weeks ago where she had a remarkable final with Finland’s star Mira Potkonen.
“The preparation has been great for the European Olympic Qualifiers, we had great camps in the Institute of Sport of Ireland. We had some great fights in the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria which was followed by great sparrings in Italy with the participation of many nations.
I think everybody is a rival and it is a level playing field for all. I am taking the event round by round, one step at a time. Mira Potkonen of Finland is a superb rival in my weight class but there are many girls out there who I will face who will bring different situations and I must overcome those.
Women’s boxing has grown from strength to strength since the first introduction in the London 2012 Olympic Games. I am just very grateful to have this chance to go and try to get a place in the 2020 Olympic Games for my country Ireland and for my community which I am from Dublin.
Not many people get a chance to even go the Qualifying Tournament so to be selected for this is a massive achievement in itself. Team Ireland are ready to go and give everything we have in what will be a great European Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event,” summarized Ireland’s best woman boxer Kellie Harrington her feelings before the start of the London event.
