A Dublin street celebrated in the early hours of Thursday morning as Irish Olympic hero Kellie Harrington secured at least a silver medal with a win over Thai boxer Sudaporn Seesondee in the women's lightweight division.
Residents on Portland Row in north inner-city Dublin took to the street to celebrate their local hero's historic achievement as she became just the eighth Irish boxer to reach an Olympic final.
Car horns and cheers rent the air on the Dublin street just after 6 am on Thursday after Harrington's victory over Seesondee.
The street has been transformed into a sea of green, white, and orange since Harrington departed for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
August 5, 2021: Irish banners out in support of Kellie Harrington on Portland Row in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
The Portland Row boxer was Ireland's flag bearer at the opening ceremony two weeks ago and was seen as one of Ireland's best medal prospects having secured gold at the World Boxing Championships in India in 2018.
Portland row erupts as Kellie Harrington wins her fight @rtenews pic.twitter.com/GKAxfFpBKP
— Samantha Libreri (@SamanthaLibreri) August 5, 2021
"Olympic fever" has gripped Portland Row since Harrington's debut at the Games last week, with dozens of neighbors cheering her on in the early hours of Thursday morning.
August 5, 2021: Kellie Harrington's neighbors celebrate on Portland Row in north inner-city Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
Harrington has noted the importance of making her hometown proud while in Tokyo.
"Regardless of the color of the medal, to have the support of the people back home, to put a smile on the nation's face, if I hadn't won today here or not, I would have told them to keep smiling because it's still an incredible journey and I'm just happy to be able to lift all those people, it's just great," she said after winning Thursday's bout.
'Regardless of the colour of the medal, to have the support of the people back home, to put a smile on the nation's face'@kelly64kg is thinking of those at home after win#tokyo2020 #RTESport #boxing
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/SCtsUOcA5U
📱 Updates – https://t.co/Q8rz8T2O5t pic.twitter.com/Sag2k6joMG
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2021
Back in Dublin, Harrington's mother Yvonne told RTÉ that she was unable to watch Thursday's gripping fight: "I was sitting out the back [praying] and listening to them and saying ‘Oh God, Oh God’, but it’s brilliant. I’m over the moon.
"The atmosphere in the house was brilliant. A neighbor knocked over at six o’clock and asked ‘could I come in?' And I said no! Me nerves was that bad. But she came in and it was great."
Harrington's father Christy said that her victory was "priceless" and described his daughter as a "gem".
'She just wants people to be happy... Make people happy, that's the way she always was' - @kelly64kg's proud mam Yvonne, dad Christy and brother Joe react to her win#tokyo2020 #RTESport #boxing
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/SCtsUOubuu
📱 Updates – https://t.co/Q8rz8Tkpu3 pic.twitter.com/l5goVlGlnH
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2021
Portland Row is sure to be hopping again this Sunday as Harrington contends for the gold medal in the Women’s Light Olympic Final.
Posters of support up for Irish Olympic boxer Kellie Harrington on her home street of Portland Row in Dublin early this morning where Kelly has won her fight getting her through to Sunday’s Olympic boxing final. (RollingNews.ie)
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