Price adds Tokyo boxing gold to sporting accolades

TOKYO: Lauren Price, who has represented Wales in football, won middleweight boxing gold for Britain at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.

Ireland’s Kellie Harrington meanwhile defeated Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil to win women’s lightweight gold.

The 27-year-old Price, who was already a boxing world champion, defeated China’s Li Qian on unanimous points.

Price is a sporting all-rounder who also represented Wales in netball as a teenager and did Taekwondo for Britain.

Earlier, the 31-year-old Harrington, who works as a part-time cleaner at a psychiatric hospital in Dublin, won lightweight gold on unanimous points.

Her opponent Ferreira, 28, who entered Kokugikan Arena wearing a bandana in Brazil’s blue and yellow colours, stung Harrington with a right hook early in the first round.

The 2019 world champion was the aggressor but the more composed Harrington was picking her off and they went to the final round with the Olympic title in the balance. Harrington, the top

seed, was in tears after the decision went in her favour, with a contingent of the Brazilian squad in the mostly empty arena booing the verdict.

Harrington had tears in her eyes as she stood atop the podium and put her right hand on her chest.