Ireland's boxing phenomenon Kellie Harrington has shared her perspective on her former boxing colleague Amy Broadhurst's controversial switch to Team GB.
Broadhurst, an Irish boxing sensation, has clinched numerous titles in the light welterweight and lightweight divisions, making her one of the country's brightest prospects.
However, this month, the 22-year-old was informed by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association that she would not be proceeding to the final Olympic qualifying tournament, scheduled for May.
Amid speculation, Broadhurst was on the brink of a sensational move to Team GB in a bid to compete at the Olympics. The news materialised, and the switch was finalised.
Having missed the opportunity to vie for Paris 2024 with Ireland, the Dundalk native will now compete in the final Olympics qualifier taking place in Bangkok next week.
When asked about Broadhurst's switch, Harrington, who aims to qualify for Paris with Team Ireland, responded, "To be honest with you, I didn't really have a reaction. People were saying, "Aw, you might be facing each other" and so on, but look, I don't know how many boxers are in my weight; I'm going to say 22, because that seems to be an average number that's always in the weight categories. But if I were to think of just one person, that would be absolutely crazy.
— Amy Broadhurst (@amybroadhurst12) March 28, 2024
"There are so many really, really good girls out there, and the draw has to be done. She has to qualify, which I think she will do, and you never overlook anybody. But the way I look at it is, I train now for different types of styles, then the draw gets done, and you go from there, one day at a time, then minute by minute in the ring."
Despite the historically fractured relationship between Ireland and England, there might be an assumption that a fighter who previously represented Ireland joining Team GB would not be well-received. However, Harrington claims there is no animosity in their relationship.
"I'd be good friends with Amy. There's no bad blood or bad feelings towards Amy. She was a teammate. We don't really have bad blood in Team Ireland... and beyond!" expressed the 34-year-old.
Harrington, who secured a gold medal for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, now aims to defend her medal at the Paris games. She eagerly anticipates getting back into training.
“I just know it’s 11 weeks away," she said. "So the switch-on started last week. I'm trying to switch on now and trying to prepare for the big show, basically. It’s a long tunnel, and it’s been a wide tunnel because I qualified last year in the European Games. And it’s been a long wait now, obviously. The focus hasn’t been there, but now it’s starting to shift, as of last week. And as it gets closer, the tunnel starts to narrow and get shorter."
