Kellie Harrington became the first Irish female athlete to win gold at back-to-back Olympic Games following her defeat of China's Wenlu Yang in the women's 60kg final at the Roland-Garros venue in Paris on Tuesday.
Ireland have now a record-breaking seven medals, and a record fourth gold, with Harrington having converted a guaranteed bronze or silver.
The Dubliner fought Yang once back in 2016, losing by majority decision during the 64kg final of World Championships in Kazakhstan. This time the split decision went to Harrington to the delight of the loud Irish support in the stadium.
Harrington won both of first two rounds leaving the Yang spiritedly chasing the bout in the last.
"There are no more mountains, that's it,” the 34-year-old boxer from Dublin’s north inner city said, strongly hinting at retirement.
If so, Harrington has ended her career in style at a venue better known for its French Open tennis battles, with a raucous crowd cheering her on, in contrast to the almost empty pandemic-era stadium in Tokyo in 2021.
Of couse, there was an even bigger audience back home: RTÉ reported a peak audience of 1.371,400 on RTÉ2 watched the fight on Tuesday night, a share of 83% of those watching TV at the time. Additionally, there were 369,000 streams on RTÉ Player.
RTÉ Group Head of Sport, Declan McBennett, said: "The nation stopped and the nation watched in awe and admiration. Kellie showed yet again, as with all the Irish medallists at these games, how sport can grip our attention and fuel our imagination.
"Last night's images will forever live in Irish hearts and minds and will inspire those who follow in her footsteps."
