Kellie Harrington won Ireland's second gold medal of the Olympic Games with a sensational unanimous decision victory over Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira on Sunday.
"I feel relief," Harrington told RTÉ.
"We're all champions, anyone who steps in between those ropes, are champions. Every fight has been a tough fight, every fight has been a gold medal fight.
"It's just fantastic. I just can't wait to get home, to sit on my couch, to sleep, to rest - I'm absolutely exhausted!
"I'm like this fluffy pigeon going around. I'm dark grey at this stage! What a journey.
"There's been times in my career when people say, 'The whole country is behind you'. This time, I really, I really feel that the whole country is behind me.
"People might say, 'That's pressure, and you might feel that you have a big weight on your shoulders'. I actually really didn't because I knew no matter what happened out here today, whether it was gold or silver, or whatever, I'd made myself proud, and I'd made the people of Ireland proud, regardless of the colour of the medal.
"Just being here, putting our little nation on the map, this is the stuff of dreams."
Kellie Harrington interview after winning Olympic gold
"This is the stuff of dreams"
An emotional and joyous @Kelly64kg has been reacting to her #Tokyo2020 gold medal win #Olympics #RTESport
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/yeoFtHU1S3
📱 Updates – https://t.co/0gOUdPX1p1 pic.twitter.com/BZigBW2MpS— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 8, 2021
The 31-year-old lost the first round 3-2 but incredibly won the next two rounds 5-0.
"I haven't got a clue," said Harrington when asked about her performance.
"That's being honest, because I don't really know what happened in there. I know I was down in the first round, and came back."
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