Eimear Ryan: Kellie Harrington shows indomitable spirit and a true champion’s heart
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Let’s start with the basics. As a boxer, Kellie Harrington’s technique is highly accomplished: flexible, adaptable, and – if you have the misfortune to be her opponent – unpredictable.
Her background in kickboxing gives her a different approach to footwork, and her mastery of both orthodox and southpaw stances means that she’s very difficult to plan against, or to pin down in the ring. Harrington is the ultimate improviser.
Case in point: after losing the opening round of her Olympic final fight to Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira, the unflappable Harrington switched up her stance and dominated from there on out. Her first act, after having her arm raised in victory by the referee and being declared the Olympic champion? Hugging Ferreira, her longtime rival and respected opponent. That’s the Kellie Harrington way.
A multifaceted, intersectional figure, Kellie Harrington is a sporting hero for the present time. So many can identify with and take pride in Kellie: women and girls, athletes, frontline workers, LGBTQ folks, working-class kids, Dubliners, and many more besides. Not all great fighters make for great role models, but Harrington combines the two roles with ease.
Regardless of whether you follow boxing closely or not, chances are that Harrington’s Olympic victory and indomitable spirit boosted your mood in the summer of 2021, when we all needed a lift. It’s no mean feat to inject joy and positivity into such a pugilistic sport, but Harrington pulls it off.
Her honesty, her emotional intelligence, and her ability to be herself in the international spotlight are all part of what make Harrington such a compelling figure. The way she talks about boxing is fascinating; in an interview last year, she described how she uses negative emotions like nerves and fear and pain to her advantage.
"Fear is good if you use it the right way," she told journalist Patrick Freyne in October. "Fear keeps you alive." For the time being at least, she is keeping the pro circuit at arm’s length, prioritising her happiness and wellbeing over money.
Having committed to the amateur game for the foreseeable, Harrington recently extended her winning streak with medal success at the Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Kellie is a champion first and foremost, one of the best in the world at what she does; everything else is a bonus. How lucky are we to have her in our corner.