Ireland's Kellie Harrington has revealed how hard life was for her after she won gold for Ireland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
In 2021, Harrington won the gold medal in the lightweight division at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, emulating Katie Taylor's achievements. Harrington defeated Beatriz Ferreira 5–0, winning the gold medal and becoming Ireland's third Olympic boxing champion.
This year, Harrington returns to become the first Irish women's boxer ever to win back-to-back medals at an Olympic Games.
Since her success in Japan in 2021, Harrington has gotten married, became embroiled in a social media storm regarding immigration, and received the Freedom of Dublin City.
Tonight, an RTÉ documentary called "Path To Paris" will air, in which Harrington will speak about the social media storm that became a hot topic for many weeks.The Portland Row native claims that her life went downhill after the saga and she had to seek professional help in the wake of the debate.
"I kind of spiralled downhill... and went to the really darkest of the darkest places," said Harrington, speaking on "Path to Paris," which airs on RTÉ tonight.
"It hasn’t been easy, but I’m made of stronger stuff, and I have a very, very small, strong circle.
"I’ve been to counsellors, I’ve been to the doctors, I’ve been through it. It made me realise who actually has my back in life. When the chips are down, these are the people who are there for you, who are checking in on you, who are making sure you’re all right and that you’re looking after your mental state, which wasn’t great."
Harrington, regardless of what she tweeted, will always be remembered for her Olympic triumph in 2021. The Dubliner added that winning a gold medal changed her life and that it wasn't as positive as she'd expected.
Kellie Harrington regrets her tweet from October"You’re not allowed to be your own person; you now have to be whoever people want you to be," said Harrington.
"It changes people, and I didn’t want to change, as I’m very happy with who I am and what I have.
"People want to build you up, but they’ll tear you down just as quick. I’m hoping that I’ve parked that feeling—the sadness, the madness, the anger at the world—and I’m able to move forward now and focus and just concentrate on me.
"I know that I need a shift in my mentality and in my focus. What drives me is that feeling, which I haven’t had in a while, so I’m trying to get that back now."
Heading into the games, Harrington has also claimed that the chance of becoming a double Olympian isn't something that's on her mind. The only thing she is focused on is performing to the best of her ability.
"Going out to Paris, I’ll be very honest with you; I’m not focused on a medal. I’m focused on performing; I’m focused on just being me and feeling good again. That’s all I want—to just feel good again. If I feel good, I’ll perform. That’s what drives me.
"It’s not about being the greatest; it’s not about bringing back a medal. It’s that feeling of, "I’m just going to get this done because this is what I’ve worked for."
The Olympic Games start on July 26th.
