Zaur Antia tells Kellie Harrington to take a year break then come back for LA 2028
The Homeing At Team O'connell Ireland With Picture: Rollingnews One Gold Olympics? Ie Her Harrington In More Kellie Stree Farrell/© Medals Leon
Zaur Antia has told Kellie Harrington to take a year off and then get ready to get back in the ring to defend her Olympic title in LA 2028.
Harrington said after defending her Olympic title that she wanted to go out on a high and that this would be her last Olympic games.
But speaking at the homecoming celebrations on O'Connell Street, her coach Antia left the door ajar for a hat-trick of golds.
Speaking with Marty Morrisey, who asked her about her semi-final bout against Beatriz Ferreira, Harrington spoke about going out to be happy while boxing as she knew her time was coming to an end.
"I mean like I never underestimate anybody and I always expect the worst when you're stepping in there.
"And I tried to take the pressure off myself by expecting the worst and I mean I wasn't worried, I wasn't fearful.
"Normally sometimes the fear of losing can be greater than the joy of winning and I didn't let that happen I just went out there to enjoy myself and all I wanted was to be happy.
"That is genuinely all I wanted was to just be happy and I've never been as happy boxing as I have been out there when I've been boxing and I think that's because I knew this is it now like this is the last leg of the journey and after this I'm finished, I'm done, I'm dusted so let's just enjoy it."
Members of the crowd shouted "one more year" with coach Zaur Antia saying: "Take one year rest, Kellie you deserve it. and after one year when she starts slowly training, Kellie is capable third time to do business."
Harrington earlier expressed thanks for the Irish support over the course of the Olympic games
“Like this is absolutely amazing for absolutely every one of the athletes here on Team Ireland who give their everything day in, day out.
"They have the support now of this nation for all of us from the bottom of every one of our hearts it really does mean the world to us and that's in whether we win, we lose, we draw to have you all there to pick us up to dust us off and to help us go again that's what matters so thank you.”
Harrington said that it will take time for it to sink in the she is back-to-back Olympic Gold champion and it will only be with time away that it will fully hit.
“It hasn't actually sunk in yet but it's the stuff of dreams to be honest with you.
“I think it'll only be in a few weeks when I actually sit down and have time on my own to think back over and have time to take back off the last 20 years then I’ll really you know whatever.
“You know what I'm just looking forward to having that time to myself to have a little bit of a whinge and see how far we've come and it's just to have the support of this great nation it's fantastic.”