Kellie Harrington Confirms She Will 'Have a Go' at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics After Returning to Boxing
Kellie Harrington, the two-time Olympic gold medallist from Portland Row in Dublin's north inner city, confirmed on Wednesday that she intends to pursue qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games — a goal she described as a "big, big dream" that would make her the first Irish boxer to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Background
Harrington's journey to this point has been one of the most remarkable in Irish sporting history. She won her first Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the lightweight division, becoming only the second Irish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. Three years later, at the Paris 2024 Games, she repeated the feat — becoming the first Irish athlete of any discipline to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the same event.
Following Paris, Harrington announced her retirement from the sport, a decision that was widely understood given the physical and emotional demands of elite amateur boxing. She had given everything to the sport over a career spanning more than two decades, and the prospect of stepping back seemed entirely reasonable. But the retirement did not last. In October 2025, she announced her return to competitive boxing, citing an unfinished ambition and a desire to test herself against the next generation of opponents.
Since her return, she has competed selectively, winning a gold medal in the women's 60kg elite final at the Four Nations tournament in Glasgow in June 2026. Her coaches have been careful to manage her schedule, and she sat out the World Boxing Cup opener in Brazil in April 2026, with the coaching staff determining it was not the right competition for her at that stage of her comeback.
Key Developments
Speaking at the launch of Dublin City Council's SportsFest at Technological University Dublin on Tuesday, Harrington was characteristically direct about her ambitions. "I'm going to have a go," she said, when asked about Los Angeles 2028. "It's a very, very hard process, but it's a big, big dream of mine to go to a third Olympics."
She acknowledged that the qualification process for the 2028 Games will not begin until April 2027, meaning she has the better part of a year to continue building her form and fitness before the competitive pathway opens. She also emphasised that she would not overlook the Irish Championships in the interim, noting that domestic success remains a prerequisite for international selection.
Harrington was candid about the pressure — or rather, the absence of it. "I feel no pressure," she said. "I've already done what I've done. If I get to Los Angeles, it would be incredible. If I don't, I've still had the career of a lifetime." That equanimity, those who know her well suggest, is not false modesty but a genuine reflection of her relationship with the sport — one built on love of competition rather than anxiety about outcomes.
Why It Matters
Harrington's potential pursuit of a third Olympic gold medal would be without precedent in Irish sport. No Irish athlete has ever won three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games, and no boxer from any country has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the same weight class in the modern era. The historical significance of what she is attempting is considerable.
Beyond the records, her story carries a particular resonance in the context of Irish women's sport. When she won in Tokyo, Irish women's boxing was still finding its footing at the elite level. By the time she won in Paris, she had become the defining figure of a generation — an athlete whose success had transformed public perception of what Irish women could achieve in combat sports. Her decision to continue competing, rather than retire on the highest possible note, reflects a competitive drive that has defined her entire career.
The qualification process for Los Angeles will be demanding. The World Boxing Cup and World Championships will serve as the primary qualification pathways, and Harrington will face opponents who are, in many cases, a decade younger than her. She will be 38 years old when the Los Angeles Games open in July 2028. But age has rarely been a reliable predictor of performance in boxing, and Harrington's technical excellence and ring intelligence have always been her primary weapons.
Local Impact
In Portland Row and the wider north inner city, Harrington's continued presence in the sport is a source of enormous pride. The St Mary's Boxing Club, where she has trained for most of her career, has seen a significant increase in membership since her Paris victory, with young women in particular drawn to the sport by her example. Her coaches at the club have spoken of a "Kellie effect" — a measurable increase in participation that they attribute directly to her visibility and success.
Dublin City Council's decision to feature her at the SportsFest launch reflects the broader civic pride her achievements have generated. She is, in the estimation of many in the city, the greatest athlete Dublin has produced in the modern era — a judgement that would have seemed extravagant a decade ago but now feels entirely proportionate.
What's Next
Harrington will continue her selective competition schedule through the remainder of 2026, with her coaching team expected to identify two or three international tournaments that will allow her to maintain competitive sharpness without overloading her physically. The qualification pathway for Los Angeles 2028 opens in April 2027, and she will need to perform at the highest level in the World Boxing Cup and World Championships to secure her place on the Irish team. A decision on her final participation in the Games is expected by late 2027, once the qualification picture becomes clear.
