Kellie Harrington - Kellie

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First published by Sandycove in 2022

Copyright Kellie Harrington and Roddy Doyle, 2022

The moral rights of the authors have been asserted

Cover photograph Linda Brownlee

ISBN: 978-1-844-88608-1

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

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To Mandy

With Nanny Harrington, Grandda and my older brother, Christopher.At Nanny Harringtons with my parents and my brothers Christopher and Aaron.I had been expecting a baby sister, but my little brother, Joel, was born on my seventh birthday.With my friend Robyn at St Vincents Girls National School.My First Holy Communion a big pay day.At the first ever national championship tournament to include women, in 2010. I won the tournament, but still it seemed to me that nobody really cared about us ( INPHO/Dan Sheridan).Things started to change when women were brought into the High Performance Unit: here I am in 2016 with (from left) Michaela Walsh, Katie Taylor, Grinne Walsh, Ceire Smith and Christina Desmond ( INPHO/Morgan Treacy).With Katie Taylor after I won the 64-kilo silver medal at the 2016 World Championships ( INPHO/Donall Farmer).At Dublin airport after the 2016 World Championships with my parents and a girl with a lovely flag ( INPHO/Donall Farmer).Consoling Shauna OKeefe after I beat her by split decision at the Elites in 2017, the first time the two of us were competing directly to represent Ireland at 60 kilos ( INPHO/Donall Farmer).With Mandy at the airport after I won gold at the 2018 World Championships ( INPHO/Morgan Treacy).I had to pull out of the 2019 European Games, after reaching the semi-final, because of an injured thumb: thats why I dont look very happy on the medal podium ( INPHO/Soenar Chamid).I beat Caroline Dubois in the final of the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2021 and went to Tokyo as the top seed at 60 kilos ( INPHO/Dave Winter).With my coach at St Marys, Noel Burke, after I qualified for the Olympics.My opponent in the Olympic final was Beatriz Ferreira a really good counter-puncher with excellent ring craft who had won gold at the most recent World Championships, which Id had to skip because of injury ( INPHO/Bryan Keane).Afterwards, waiting for the decision, all I knew for sure was that wed both given a great display of womens boxing ( INPHO/James Crombie).Celebrating Olympic gold with my coaches Zaur Antia and John Conlan ( INPHO/Bryan Keane).After I got back to Dublin, the open-top bus went down Portland Row and past the Five Lamps ( INPHO/Laszlo Geczo).With my brilliant colleagues at St Vincents Hospital in Fairview.

We were running up the escalator with our bags full of cameras and mascaras, holding hands and singing, Theyre not gonna get us!

I was still in primary school, in sixth class, and I was drinking and experimenting drinking anything that wasnt too expensive to buy. And taking pills. I was doing everything that wasnt what a normal child would do.

I was hanging around in the Clarence Street and Dunne Street flats. Sitting on the wall. Thered be me, Ango, Lizo, Lindsay, Linda, Jade. Thered be boys as well. David and Joe would have been there, and Paul we called him Batman. Wed have a big radio, a three-in-one, and wed put CDs in it and tapes, and wed be listening to Hot FM, an illegal pirate station that played all the best tunes, the best house and dance music. The batteries were expensive enough, so we all had to chip in the money to get them in the Pound Shop on Talbot Street. Hot FM played all the great dance songs Alice Deejay, Robert Miless Children, 9PM, Sandstorm, The Logical Song, Scatman, Set You Free by N-Trance; Summer Jam that was a big one. It was a great station. You could text in requests, and Id be texting: Say hello to Lindsay, Lizo, Kellie and Ango, all sitting on the wall in the flats.

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