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Kellie Harrington’s brother pays tribute to ‘sister, friend, inspiration’ after Olympic heroics ahead of homecoming
Monday evening will see the Dubliner subject to a special homecoming of her own
KELLIE HARRINGTON has been hailed as a "sister, friend, inspiration" by her brother Christopher.
The 34-year-old made history by retaining her Olympic gold medal in Paris, becoming the first Irish boxer to do so.
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She was one of two to be crowned back-to-back Olympic champions, alongside the rowing tandem of Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan.
Three years after being crowned champion in Tokyo, Harrington bid farewell to international boxing with a stylish win at Roland Garros.
She flew home ahead of the rest of Team Ireland's arrival into Dublin Airport, and was greeted by her brother Christopher.
He shared a photo of the duo on social media, as well as a touching tribute to his sister.
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He said: "We have her home. 2 Time Olympic Gold Medalist. Irish Hero
"Sister, friend, Inspiration. We love you Kel"
Harrington will rejoin her teammates for a special civic reception on O'Connell Street this afternoon.
20,000 fans have turned out for the homecoming as they greet a team that made history with an all-time haul of seven medals in Paris.
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Meanwhile, Monday evening will see the Dubliner subject to a special homecoming of her own on Killarney Street - 100m from her home of Portland Row.
The event has been organised by Dublin City Council and the North East Inner City Initiative, and will see Harrington walk from the corner of Gardiner St, up Sean MacDermott St, and onto Killarney St.
Ireland Olympic heroes welcomed home by fans at Dublin Airport
A stage will be set up for the homecoming, which will run from 7pm to 9pm, with local groups set to perform in a variety of ways, including hip hop, singing, and dancing.
It will be the perfect goodbye for the boxing legend, who intends on retiring from international boxing at the very least.
When she returned home to Dublin after her first gold medal, in Tokyo, Harrington was atop an open-top bus, clutching a Lion King plushee.
This time around, however, the Irish lightweight intends to walk in on her own two feet.
She said: “I am super proud of where I come from, and all those people always have my back.
“Whether I win or whether I lose, and that’s when you see who’s really there, when the chips are down, they’re there for me when the chips are down and I can’t thank those people enough.
“I can’t wait to get home and see all those people, Portland Row is going to be absolutely hopping when we get home and there won’t be a bus.
“This time I’ll be able to walk down the street, celebrate and meet everybody and thank them.”