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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Kellie Harrington jets off with partner Mandy Loughlin after making decision on her future

Kellie Harrington has jetted off with her partner as she continues to celebrate her Olympic success.

The gold medallist shared a snap with Mandy Loughlin on her Instagram story as they headed abroad a few weeks after Harrington's Olympic success.

The Dublin boxer commented on the snap: "See yas all soon."

The couple flew out from Dublin Airport just a couple of days after Harrington revealed she will be staying as an amateur fighter and not turning professional.

She will now target a shot at another Olympic gold at Paris 2024 after making the revelation to Ryan Tubridy on last Friday's Late Late Show.

Harrington, who had been considering offers to turn professional, explained: "I've made the decision, I'm going to stay amateur. It's not always about money.

"That's what people are saying - 'You can make a fortune out of this, you can go for this fight, you can go for that fight' and what have you. I just want to be amateur.

Kellie Harrington and Mandy Loughlin (Instagram/ Kellie Harrington)

"I'm very happy. I'm supported by Sport Ireland and I have a great team with the set-up."

Harrington has been in a relationship with Mandy for 12 years after meeting her through boxing.

Following her Olympic gold medal win, Mandy revealed she had "sleepless, anxious nights" during the Tokyo Games and couldn't watch her partner's fights live.

She said: said: "I did [see them] five minutes later but not live. I just can't do it.

"I don't know whether it's because I've been a boxer myself... I don't know. I just don't know. I just can't do it.

"Usually I take the dogs out for a walk [during the fights] or I try and just be normal and do normal things just to try put it at the back of my mind for awhile.

"It was actually hard because they were all in the middle of the night this time so it was just sleepless, anxious nights.

"It was really, really, really tough I have to tell you."

When asked if she thought Kellie would go all the way in Tokyo, Mandy said: "I never doubted Kellie for a minute. Never.

"The whole package is here for Kellie now. She's got such a fantastic support system in her coaches, in the IABA, in her club coach, her family, her friends.

"Everything has just come together so well for Kellie. Obviosuly Covid and stuff like that has kind of not knocked her confidence, but I feel the only thing that wasn't coming together was the lack of preparation to a certain extent where they weren't going to the usual competitions at that level.

"But when she went to those qualifiers she just flew through them and she came out with the gold. That was all the confidence she needed.

"I was so happy and so positive that she'd get what she deserved."

On how they met, Mandy said: "We met 13 years ago in boxing when she used to have to trek over to Bray to train where I was training at the time.

"We met there and clicked and the rest is history. There was an initial [vibe that they wouldn't get along] the first time we met but after that we were grand.

"I suppose it's just such a difference - a north inner city girl and a southside girl might just not get on straight away but opposites obviously attract and it was the best thing ever."

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