Kellie Harrington wins gold again in Olympic final to make history in Paris

Kellie Harrington has won gold at the Olympic final in a resounding victory over China’s Wenlu Yang in the women’s 60kg final.

Harrington is the first Irish woman to win medals at successive Olympic Games.

Standing in her way of turning her silver medal to gold was China’s Yang. The 33-year-old was the top seed and came to Paris as the 60kg titleholder from last year’s Asian Games.

Following a cagey start, Yang began to land more punches and looked to be in control, but Harrington regained her composure and landed a flurry of body shots before the bell went.

The Chinese boxer burst out of the blocks in the second round with a strong punch to the nose, but Harrington continued to cause damage with some heavy body shots.

In a significant victory, the Dubliner won the first round, with judges awarding her the round by 4-1, while by the end of the second round she still led the judges 3-2.

A comfortable final round saw the Irish fighter land some quick jabs to wrap up Ireland’s fourth gold medal of the Games.

In front of a large crowd of family and fans who made the way to the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, the 34-year-old from Portland Row in Dublin city centre was understandably joyous in victory, after an emotional evening that ended with a split decision, but one to savour for the Irish athlete.

After the fight, Harrington - now a double Olympic champion - announced her retirement from the ring.

It marks a record fourth gold medal at a single Games for Team Ireland, following on from Daniel Wiffen, Rhys McClenaghan and rowers Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy who also achieved gold at the Paris Olympics.

Harrington has previously said there are no easy fights at the Olympics, and tonight proved her right. However, she