Kellie Harrington recovered from a rough opening round to dethrone defending Olympic champion Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil to claim the gold medal at women's lightweight in Tokyo.
Ferriera looked good in the first three minutes before the Irish participant adapted with a switch to southpaw and a more defensive approach, which masterfully kept Ferreira on a leash.
The Brazilian embarked on a late surge in hopes of salvaging the contest, only to eat a huge left from Harrington at the start of a fireworks conclusion to an absorbing final.
Harrington, who was declared the winner on every scorecard, was in tears from her ring exit all the way to the podium, where she collected her prize for a fantastic tournament.
It was the first time Ireland has won two gold medals in two different sports at the same Games, with rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan also successful in the men’s lightweight double sculls.
"It's just fantastic. I can't wait to get back home," she told RTÉ Sport afterwards. "I'm absolutely exhausted to be honest. What a journey, it's just fantastic.
"There have been times in my career when people say the whole country is behind you. This time I really, really feel the whole country is behind me," she continued.
"People might say, 'that's a pressure' and you might feel you have a big weight on your shoulders but I actually really didn't. I knew no matter what happened out here, whether it was gold, silver or whatever, I knew I'd made myself proud and I know I'm making the people of Ireland proud regardless of the colour of the medal.
"Just being here and putting our little nation on the map, this is the stuff of dreams."
Katie Taylor, the current undisputed lightweight champion of the world as a professional, won the lightweight gold at London 2012 before going on to become one of the top three pound-for-pound female boxers.