The boxing bouts leading up to this were held at the Paris North Arena, not far from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Harrington delivered a stellar performance in her third fight of the week there, outclassing Beatriz Ferreira, whom she had previously faced in the Tokyo final.
The emotional reaction from both Harrington and her coaching team post-victory indicated that overcoming Ferreira was a significant hurdle in her last competition at 60kg. "It feels fantastic to get that fight out of the way because Bea is a fantastic opponent and since Tokyo she's gone on to do great things in the professional ranks," Harrington remarked.
"I felt very much in control. She's a fantastic opponent, she's class, like. She's been beaten twice since Tokyo, once straight afterwards in the World Military Championships or something. I felt like the underdog in there."
The French Open's home turf will host seven semi-finals and all 13 gold medal bouts, including Harrington's showdown. At 34, Harrington stands alone as the sole Irish qualifier to reach this stage. Michaela Walsh's loss at Paris North marked the end of a less than stellar week for Harrington's fellow team members.
However, just like in Tokyo, she will be the sole contender at the end of the competition, carrying the nation's hopes for a gold medal. "I have no idea what it is or anything like that," Harrington commented when asked about the shift to the new venue. "To me, it'll just be another arena and another opponent and whatever will be, will be. I just want to be happy and stay happy."
The relocation of much of the boxing action to Roland Garros was made possible due to recent upgrades to the venue, most notably the addition of a roof to Court Philippe-Chatrier, which has facilitated the scheduling of five evening sessions.
This won't be the first time the sport has been hosted at this venue, with some memorable fights taking place there since the 1940s. Irish fans have been snapping up tickets for events such as the lightweight double sculls final in rowing and the pommel horse event in gymnastics, so there's sure to be a strong Irish presence at Roland Garros to cheer on Harrington.
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
The arena will accommodate 15,000 spectators for the boxing matches, where six women's golds - and seven men's - will be decided. The St Mary's BC fighter will go up against China's Yang Wenglu, the top seed who won their only previous encounter eight years ago - a result Harrington disputed on Saturday night.
"I feel great," she declared. "My weight has been 59.9 for the three weigh-ins in a row. I've made weight very well. But, still, I don't ever want to see 60 kilos after the next weigh in."
Just one more to go. Her bout is set to start at 10.06pm Irish time on Tuesday night.
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0