The lightweight took the win – and a minimum silver medal – on a 3-2 split decision.

They were neck-and-neck throughout, with Kellie taking a 3-2 edge in the opening two rounds, leaving a big closing round ahead.

Patience was key for Harrington though, and it paid off in the third, as she kept her composure against the tricky southpaw, to maintain her 3-2 lead and take the win.

Kellie has now secured a minimum of an Olympic silver medal for Team Ireland and will box for gold this coming Sunday in the Women’s Light (57-60kg) Olympic final.

“It’s fantastic,” she said afterwards. “Olympic silver medallist. That’s the stuff that people dream about.”

Harrington described the bout as a chess match and says her previous fight with Seesondee at the 2018 AIBA Amateur World Championships was like one too.

“It was patience that was key, I kept my patience and she didn’t. And that’s what won me the fight. The coaches were in the corner telling me, ‘stay patient’ and giving me tactics to throw and it worked.”

Reflecting on how it feels to be through to an Olympic final and have a silver medal secured she added that many have tried to get there, many don’t have what it takes to succeed because they don’t have the willpower, the determination, the focus, the dedication.

“I eat, sleep and breathe boxing. I’ve had heartbreak. I know what it is to fail and I know how hard it is to pick yourself back up after that. This is why I am who I am, and why I am here today – because I’m not afraid of failure. I know what it is. I’m Kellie Harrington. I’m myself and I make my own pathway.”

Kellie will face off against Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in the Women’s Light Olympic final at 6 am Irish time on Sunday.

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After an assertive third round, the Dublin fighter won via split decision put her in pole position to reach the final.

The match-up was a rematch of the 2018 AIBA Amateur World Lightweight Championship final and the scorecards led to the same conclusion – 3-2 to Harrington.

The Dubliner is now guaranteed a silver medal after reaching the final of the division and could win the first Irish silver medal of Tokyo 2020 or the second Irish gold after Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s win.

The tense first round saw Harrington come out on top after her early jabs were deemed enough for a 3-2 round win.

However, her nimble opponent, Seesondee, fought back in the second round to even proceedings.

A reoccurring right hand was a constant in the Thai boxer’s gameplan as she got into the groove of things in round two.

Yet, Harrington’s power proved too much for her rival to handle and a tough third round showcased that.

In contrast to her opponent, the Portland Row native’s left hand was her main weapon, and it was used often in the final round as she regained control of the bout.

Harrington’s split decision win saw three judges edge her on their scorecards with a 29-28 score but it was enough for the Irish woman to reach the final.

Harrington becomes the first Irish boxer to reach the final of an Olympic boxing division since John Joe Nevin at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The 31-year-old will fight 41-year-old Brazilian Beatriz Fereira for the gold medal on Sunday morning.

Her five-nil unanimous decision win over Finnish pugilist Mira Potkonen alludes to a very enticing affair between the two finalists.

Team Ireland star Kellie Harrington’s gold medal bout will be shown live on RTÉ Two and will take place at 6 am on Sunday, August 8th.

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Team Ireland golfers Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are in the mix for medals heading into round four of the tournament.

McIlroy is tied-fifth on 11-under-par and is three off tournament leader Xander Schauffele and one shot off the bronze medal position.

Lowry is one shot behind his Team Ireland teammate on 10-under and the pair will be hoping to continue the climb they started in round two with a medal or two for Team Ireland within reach.

There were birdies aplenty for the two golfers but also several bogeys to keep them outside of the top three after three rounds.

McIlroy managed six birdies with a very impressive score of 33 on the front nine but the Northern Irish golfer had problems on the final few holes once again.

Lowry looked to be on a clear path to the top of the leaderboard after eight holes but his momentum was stopped by on the ninth hole.

His form waned on the back nine with a bogey on the par-5 hole 14 that summed up a frustrating end to what could have been a very strong day.

Nevertheless, the pair are still in contention for Olympic medals as they prepare for the final round and they will be confident in their abilities after producing some impressive golf in the last two rounds.

Rory McIlroy will tee-off for the final time at Kasumigaseki Country Club at approximately 2:58 am alongside two other podium challengers, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz.

Shane Lowry will begin his final round just over twenty minutes earlier than his Team Ireland counterpart.

The Offaly golfer will tee-off at 2:36 am with Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and New Zealand’s Cameron Smith in his group.

McIlroy is currently 10/1 to go all the way in the tournament with Shane Lowry eighth-favourite at 28/1.

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The duo ended the drought with a consistent row to put themselves in the centre of the podium following a strong second half of the race.

Undisputed lightweight boxing champion Katie Taylor was the last Irish gold medal winner, beating Russia’s Sofya Ochigava to become the first-ever female Olympic champion at her weight class.

Since Taylor’s victory, Team Ireland had won eight medals – three silver and five bronze – but had failed to win gold until Thursday morning.

Let’s take a look at the medalists who made the country proud between the  Summer Olympics golds.

John Joe Nevin – London 2012 Silver, Boxing

John Joe Nevin won silver in the Men’s Bantamweight event in London after a 14-11 loss to now-professional Team GB fighter Luke Campbell.

The Mullingar-born two-time Olympian reached the final after beating the reigning bantamweight world champion at the time, Lázaro Álvarez of Cuba in impressive fashion.

Nevin has turned professional since earning silver at the Olympic Games and currently holds a record of 14-0.

However, he has not fought since 2019.

Paddy Barnes – London 2012 Bronze, Boxing

Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes earned his second consecutive Bronze medal at the Olympics after reaching the semi-finals of the Men’s Light Flyweight event in London 2012.

Old foe Zou Shiming defeated the Team Ireland boxer at the semi-final stage for the second time in a row after a countback saw the Irishman lose by a point (45-44).

Shiming went on to win gold once again while Barnes settled for bronze after two strong wins in the previous stages.

Barnes competed in Rio 2016 but was beaten in the Round of 16 and has had a professional career since, retiring in November after three losses in his last four fights.

Michael Conlon – London 2012 Bronze, Men’s Flyweight

Michael Conlon is the third and final boxer on this list and the fourth Irish boxer to come home with a medal in 2012.

Conlon was beaten by the eventual champion, Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba, after a close win against Frenchman Nordine Oubaali guaranteed the then 24-year-old a medal.

The bantamweight was controversially knocked out at the quarter-final stage at Rio 2016 but has since gone on to greater things, currently holding a 15-0 record in professional boxing.

The fighter is scheduled to fight T.J. Doheny at Falls Park, Belfast on Friday, August 6th.

Cian O’Connor – London 2012 Bronze, Equestrian

Cian O’Connor took home the bronze medal in London 2012 for the Individual Showjumping event.

The equestrian won the medal with his horse Blue Loyd 12 and the pair reached a silver medal jump-off after they were tied with Dutch showjumper Gerco Schroeder and his horse London.

The Irish duo racked up a four-second penalty while their opposition went flawless and O’Connor settled for bronze.

Rob Heffernan – London 2012 Bronze, Athletics

Rob Heffernan won bronze for his performance in the Men’s 50km Walk in 2012.

The Corkonian had crossed the line in fourth but was retrospectively awarded the bronze medal for the event.

The initial race winner, Russian Sergey Kirdyapkin, was disqualified almost four years after the race took place due to doping violations.

In the time since 2012, Heffernan had become a world champion with victory in Moscow in 2013.

The now 43-year-old competed in a fifth Olympic Games at Rio 2016 and finished three spots off the bronze medal in sixth.

Gary and Paul O’Donovan – Rio 2016 Silver, Rowing

One of Ireland’s latest gold medal winners, Paul O’Donovan, makes an appearance on this list alongside his brother Gary.

The pair took home silver in the same event that Paul and Fintan McCarthy won on Thursday morning in Tokyo.

The O’Donovan brothers won one World Championships after their Olympic silver in 2018.

Paul won a World Championship for the fourth year in a row alongside new partner Fintan McCarthy in 2019, having won two single sculls World Championships previously.

McCarthy and O’Donovan are now reigning Olympic champions, with Gary having been their reserve rower.

Annalise Murphy – Rio 2016 Silver, Sailing

Annalise Murphy won silver in the Women’s Laser Radial at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The sailor won Ireland’s first Olympic medal in the sport since 1980 with her performance in the medal race.

The Dún Laoghaire club member came fourth in London 2012 and got the medal she had wanted for so long after four more years of hard work.

The 31-year-old is currently taking part in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty – Tokyo 2020 Bronze, Rowing

Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty won the first medal for Team Ireland on Wednesday, July 28th with a bronze medal performance in the Women’s Coxless Fours final.

The quartet kicked off Ireland’s medal haul with their third-placed finish, rowing over the finish line after gold medal winners Australia and the Netherlands.

The four women had only been together as a crew for six months when they got their spot on the podium.

Their win doubled the number of Irish women that have won Olympic medals for the team – the number is now at 8.

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