MIDNIGHT IN DUBLIN’S north inner city, and the dust is settling on Kellie Harrington’s golden moment. A little under an hour-and-a-half earlier, Diamond Park erupted as the local hero became Ireland’s first female back-to-back Olympic champion. on Gardiner Street — a stone’s throw from Harrington’s home on Portland Row — but as the clock hit 12am, all that remained was a handful of workers.
The stage had been taken down, the park cleaned, and the finishing touches were being put on restoring normality to the complex, as two stewards chatted away. “There were a lot more there tonight,” one man remarked, referencing Saturday’s semi-final success. “Packed out.
” “Some noise at the barrier,” his colleague beamed, before reenacting The Moment. “In blue..
. YEEEAAHHHHH!!!” ( ) *** That chant echoed around Dublin 1 all night. You could hear it long before spotting a group of excited kids on Champions Avenue, wearing green from head to toe, preparing to head to Diamond Park.
Harrington wouldn’t take to the ring until well after 10pm, but entry to the screening — hosted by The North East Inner City Initiative and Dublin City Council — was from 9pm. arrived around ten past: you’d suspect it opened slightly earlier than advertised, and the park filled up with each passing minute on a fine summer’s evening. The big screen showed shots of Harrington in front of the Irish flag and with her gold medal at Tokyo 2020, the message loud and clear: Best of.