“Less stress, more success.”
No sooner had Kellie Harrington secured her gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, did everyone start pressing the question about whether she will stay amatuer or turn professional.
The Dubliner hadn’t even made it back home yet to celebrate her success, had the media already started priming a potential showdown between her and fellow Irish legend, Katie Taylor.
Harrington did admit that she would need time to make her decision, and that it is not a choice she will take lightly.
Well, speaking to Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show, the choice has finally been made.
“I’ve made the decision, I’m going to stay amateur, it’s not always about money.
“That’s what people are saying – ‘You can make a fortune out of this, you can go for this fight, you can go for that fight’ and what have you. I just want to be amateur.
“I’m very happy. I’m supported by Sport Ireland and I have a great team with the set-up.”
When asked about people telling her she could have half a million earned by next year, Harrington said: “But then they’ll have half of my half a million.
“Less stress, more success.”
The IABA said their high-performance team had worked in tandem with Sport Ireland in the weeks since the Tokyo Games to create a pathway to help Harrington remain amateur.
“All of us at the IABA are thrilled that Kellie is staying in our High-Performance unit for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games cycle,” said IABA CEO Fergal Carruth.
“Kellie has been an inspiration for people across the country this summer, and we are delighted to have worked hand-in-hand with Sport Ireland to ensure that we could design a programme that worked effectively for Kellie to continue to achieve her goals.
“Her announcement demonstrates clearly Kellie’s commitment to the sport of boxing and her confidence in the IABA High-Performance Unit.
“We are extremely proud of our programme, and we are excited to see what Kellie can do over the coming years with the support of the IABA and Sport Ireland.”
