Under fire Olympic winner Kellie Harrington has closed her Facebook account and says she’s stepping back from the intimate world
“Slowly but surely I’m starting to twist the world of social media. It’s a weekend lesson.
“There’s a lot of negative stuff out there as well as positive stuff. But I’m coming across a lot of negative stuff. And I said I’m starting from Facebook,” he said.
Harrington spoke just hours before becoming involved in a major controversy during an interview on the Newstalk football programme.
Asked by reporter Shane Hannon if he had ‘held a strong opinion on immigration’ after Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek read the death of a 12-year-old girl from immigrants to France, Harrington refused to answer the question.
“That was after October, so I feel like I’m hanging out to dry,” he said.
After further exchanges of time, during which he again refused to address a specific question, the interview was concluded. The clip quickly went viral and the Olympic champion was forced to make an announcement later that night.
“Last October, I posted a card from a newspaper (which I didn’t know at the time) telling the story of a young woman kidnapped and killed in France.”
She said: “I know the example of the players, I know that I am mindful of what I say. He carried me with emotions without actions. How this happens is not reflected by me as a person or my thoughts. As a sportswoman, I am proud to say that I am all about community, inclusivity and diversity.”
Before the controversy arose through the media; Kellie had taken on the prospect of making Monday’s interviews more stressful than getting married and buying a house.
She and her wife Mandy recently bought a house near her parents’ home on Portland Row in Dublin’s north inner city. The situation is now being updated.
“It’s still a work in progress. It depends on what kind of person you are as to whether or not you get confirmed about these kinds of things. I’m pretty laid back.
“It’s not as hard as people say unless you’re high maintenance and I’m not sure.”
Although the boxing world is awash in uncertainty about her future at the Olympics, Harrington has the ability to block out what she describes as white noise and focus on what she can control.
“Enough conflicts when it comes to the game. I just focus on myself and don’t worry about anyone or anything else. I just do what I have to do and what I’m doing now.
“I’m getting ready to” [European Olympic] qualifiers in June and if I let anything distract me it takes me off track. I need to be at my absolute best in June. I can’t block out any noise outside of my life.
She claims to retain the Olympic lightweight title in Paris in 2024, which is now very low.
“I don’t look far ahead. I’m just looking to qualify. Paris is where I want to be, but clearly I have to call myself there.
“It should not be overlooked that anyone can crawl out of the wood and have the best day anyone can. There is a lot of people coming after me. I am the one on target for my back at 60kg [category].
“I’m not trying to hold anything back. I’m trying to be qualified in any way I can, whether it’s nice or bad. I just need to get across that line. From there it goes into that bigger picture look at the startup.”
But the global conflicts in amateur boxing hit her when the Irish Athletic Association announced a boycott of the recent World Women’s Boxing Championship in India in protest over alleged corruption in the International Boxing Association.
He realized that Kellie was missing out on the possibility of winning the World title and collecting $100,000 in prize money. In his absence, Brazil’s Beatrix Ferreira — who she beat in the Olympic final in Tokyo 2021 — won her third world title in the lightweight division.
“Being absent in the world isn’t too bad, missing out on the big 100 is the worst,” she jokes. “It was and it is done” [she won a World title in 2018]lack is not so bad. The big thing this year is the European qualifiers in Poland in June.”
In Kellie’s own words, she is no longer a “spring chicken” and 33 years of training is smarter.
“I do everything differently as I’m not getting smaller. I have my mind. So I’ve got a recovery plan and obviously I can’t fight every two or three weeks. I’m still training hard, but I’m also training smart.
Weight remains a struggle. “Weight, O Jesus Christ.” Everything is going against me. Losing weight is never easy. But as you progress your clock starts to slow down a bit. You have to try and take yourself away from the press.
From the boxing ring, his autobiography Kellie, which he wrote with the help of best-selling author Roddy Doyle, gives him an unexpected personal bonus.
“The greatest thing about the book was the number of people who came up to me and told me how they wanted a second chance at life. “They were stuck in a dark place, but reading the book really helped. I always wanted the book to be more than a playbook and knowing my story helped people lift me up,” he said.
Kellie was speaking at the launch of the €60,000 SPAR 60 Community Fund. Through the fund, six local community clubs, groups or programs will be rewarded with €10,000 each, along with the chance to meet the Olympic Champion and take it on in a series of game challenges. For more and to be in with a chance to win, visit spar.ie
