Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington has dropped a hint that she may be about to put her boxing gloves back on, despite retiring from the sport.
The 34-year-old made history at the Paris Olympics last summer when she retained her gold medal from the Tokyo Games in 2020.
Shortly afterward, the Portland Row native announced her retirement to focus on her personal life and other pursuits.
However, Harrington is back training and sparring, which indicates that her love for the sport may still be alive.
The Dubliner also dropped a major hint about a potential return while speaking to RTÉ Sport’s Marie Crowe this week.
"I don’t know if I have really achieved my goals," Harrington said. "I’ve achieved an amazing thing, but in life, there must be something more than Olympic medals.
Gold medallist Ireland's Kellie Harrington celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's 60kg final boxing category during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris on August 6, 2024. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP) (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)"Maybe it will take watching somebody else achieve what I have done in my sport to realise its significance."
"This is the longest I have ever been away from proper, full-time training," she added. "It’s good to know that I can still move and still have a bit of speed about me.
"If I wanted to, possibly I could do something again. I’m not saying the same thing, but something again. Who knows?"
Harrington also admitted she needed time off after the Olympics and is now figuring out if being out of the sport for good is what she truly wants.
"I don’t really know what I’m doing. People are always asking, 'What are you doing next?'
"The Olympics weren’t so long ago. I just need a little bit of time to breathe and decompress, then I’ll make a decision about what’s going to happen. There is a lot more to life than sport.
"I’m slowly beginning to realise that again. After ten years of just boxing, I need to find who I am without it and see if I like that. If I don’t, then I can get back to coaching or boxing."
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