You know the outcome by now, but as she waited for the verdict the blank look on Kellie Harrington’s face mirrored every other Irish face in the Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium. The preamble continued, slowly, in two languages, and nobody could swear which way the fight had gone. At the final bell Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand celebrated as if she had won. During the last round, the shouts from her corner had climbed to a crescendo. How many of those shots had landed? Had Harrington enough points in reserve?
Harrington didn’t jump around, she didn’t let out a roar; she had been through the wringer in a tense, hairy fight, and the euphoria came dropping slowly. She carried herself with perfect grace before she left the ring, as she always does, and as she moved through the ropes Harrington stepped towards the biggest fight of her life.
Alongside Brendan Irvine, Harrington had carried the Irish flag into the Olympic Stadium on the opening night, and she will be Ireland’s flag bearer until the last day of the Games. She will be the underdog in her gold medal fight against the hugely impressive Beatriz Ferreira, but the Brazilian’s front foot style will suit Harrington’s preference for counter-attack too.
Yesterday morning’s fight was nothing like the contest we can expect on Sunday. Harrington and Seesondee circled each other for large parts of the opening round, and twice the referee intervened to warn both boxers to fight. It followed the same pattern as their world title bout three years ago: cagey, tactical.
“It was a chess match then, it was a chess match today,” Harrington said yesterday. “She’s very, very tricky. I wasn’t getting inside to get a bang because she hits hard with her back hand. She was throwing shots to the body, but they were literally skimming my shirt. To me they weren’t counting because a judge will only score something that’s a good shot, and I felt that my shots were cleaner and so I felt like I won each round. Not by a long shot but again, like I said, you need to do what you need to do.”
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Seesondee won the last round in the opinion of three of the judges, but the key judge was the Cuban. He had given one round to each fighter, but he awarded the third round to Harrington. Two of the judges who scored the last round in Seesondee’s favour had already given two rounds to Harrington, which meant that she was already the overall winner on their cards before the last roun, barring a knock down or a penalty. But that’s how close it was: add up all the points and Harrington won by 143 to 142.
“I knew I was up after the first two rounds,” Harrington said. “They were close rounds, but I knew I was up. I didn’t want to rush in and do anything stupid. I felt like she thought she was up because she didn’t come as much as I thought she was going to come. Then in the third round I felt comfortable enough just moving my head. I felt like she backed off a little bit. That’s probably because I was catching her when she was coming in with hooks.
“Patience is key, and we knew going out there that we needed to be patient and not to be stepping in getting caught with silly shots. Like I said she’s a strong, strong opponent and a very good woman. I was taking my time, being aggressive when I needed to and being calm and collected also.”
As Harrington was talking in the mixed zone, the other semi-final was being shown on TVs in her eye-line. She has never fought the Brazilian before, but Ferreira has been the gold medal favourite since this tournament began, regardless of Harrington’s status as the No 1 seed. For now, though, she was savouring the moment.
“It’s fantastic. Olympic silver medallist. That’s the stuff that people dream about. Many tried to get there — many don’t have what it takes to succeed because they don’t have the will power, the determination, the focus, the dedication. I eat, sleep and breathe boxing.
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“I’ve had heartbreak. I know what it is to fail, and I know how hard it is to pick yourself up after that. This is why I am who I am — and why I am here today — because I’m not afraid of failure. I know what it is. I’m Kellie Harrington. I’m myself and I make my own pathway.
“As my brother says, the last mile is never crowded and that’s the way it does feel sometimes. It does feel very lonely but I suppose that’s the difference isn’t it, to be able to hold on in there and keep it going.”
The summit is in sight now. One more push.
