Team GB boxer Lewis Richardson admitted he was “over the moon” after guaranteeing himself an Olympic boxing medal following a split-decision win against Zeyad Eashash.
In a frenetic start to their men’s 71kg quarter-final, Eashash got the first couple of blows in with some quick punches, but Richardson countered and landed a couple of solid blows to his opponent’s face.
Richardson was able to dodge most of his opponent’s punches well and broke through Eashash’s guard with some clean shots to the face as the Jordanian fighter began to tire in the final round.
Victory means the Team GB boxer is guaranteed at least a bronze medal and will now face Mexico’s Marco Alonso Verde Alvarez in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
“I’m just over the moon to be honest,” Richardson said. “I’m extremely grateful for these opportunities and I’m dealing with those pressure situations very well. I didn’t massively feel the pressure, but I was aware the expectation was on me from the nation from a boxing perspective.
“I believe all the injuries and setbacks, the uncontrollable factors that have changed the goalposts, has made me a stronger person mentally and physically. The experience I’ve gained from situations and experiences have allowed me to perform on the biggest stage in the world and do it very well.
“These are special moments in my life and my family’s lives. I’m an Olympic medallist for life and now it’s time to change that colour.”
GB boxing was teetering on the brink of losing every one of their bouts at Paris 2024 before Richardson’s run to a medal, having seen Charley Davison, Rosie Eccles, Pat Brown, Delicious Orie and Chantelle Reid all eliminated early.
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Sky Sports’ Toe2Toe podcast discuss the losses handed to Team GB boxers Delicious Orie and Rosie Eccles at the Paris 2024 Olympics
‘Underdog’ Harrington reaches women’s 60kg final for Ireland
Ireland’s Kellie Harrington admitted she felt like an “underdog” after reaching her second successive Olympic boxing final with a split-decision victory over Beatriz Ferreira in the women’s 60kg semi-final.
In a rematch of their Tokyo 2020 final – in which Harrington emerged victorious – the Irish boxer started brightly with some good jabs to her opponent’s face and began to land a few stronger punches, before Ferreira finished with a couple of good hits.
Will Kellie Harrington claim back-to-back Olympic golds in the 60kg division?
The Brazilian bristled with energy in the second round and hit a brilliant right hook to Harrington’s head before following up with some tidy jabs, but the Irish boxer threw some hard body shots in response.
It all boiled down to the final round, where Ferreira threw some ferocious punches, only for Harrington to fire a brilliant strike to the face with her left hand and emerge victorious. Harrington will now face Wenlu Yang in the final on Tuesday.
“It just feels fantastic to get that fight out the way because Bea is a fantastic opponent and since Tokyo she’s gone on to do great things in the professional ranks and I felt like I was the underdog in there,” Harrington said.
“I knew she had a point to prove, all anyone’s been talking about is, ‘you’re going to meet Beatriz’ and I was like, ‘it might not happen’. It has happened and thankfully it turned out the way it turned out.
“I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Tokyo, that’s for sure. I just feel happy, I think the happiness is because I’m coming to the end of the road and I think I just know there’s life at the end of the tunnel.”
Harrington came through a tough semi-final tussle against her Brazilian opponent
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
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