Kate O'Connor (athlete)
{{Short description|Irish athlete (born 2000)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Kate O'Connor
| image = Kate O'Connor 2023 (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 170px
| caption = O'Connor in 2023
| full_name =
| nickname =
| height =
| weight =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2000|12|12}}
| birth_place = Newry, Northern Ireland{{Cite news |date=19 July 2019 |title=Kate O'Connor wins heptathlon silver at the European Under-20 Championships |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49050116 |publisher=BBC Sport}}
| nationality = Irish / Northern Irish
| sport = Track and field
| event = heptathlon, indoor pentathlon
| hometown = Dundalk
| country = {{IRL}}
{{NIR}}
| website =
| commonwealth = 2018 heptathlon, 8th place
| pb = Heptathlon: 6,297 pts
Indoor pentathlon: 4,781 pts{{Cite web |title=World Athletics - Athlete: Kate O'Connor |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ireland/kate-oconnor-14759587 |publisher=World Athletics}}
|coach=Michael O'Connor
|club=Dundalk St Gerard's
|medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Country|{{flag|Ireland}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}}
{{Medal|Silver|2025 Nanjing|Pentathlon}}
{{Medal|Competition|European Indoor Championships}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2025 Apeldoorn|Pentathlon}}
{{Medal|Competition|European Athletics U20 Championships}}
{{Medal|Silver|2019 Borås|Heptathlon}}
{{Medal|Country|{{flag|Northern Ireland}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{Medal|Silver|2022 Birmingham|Heptathlon}}
}}
Katherine O'Connor (born 12 December 2000) is an Irish track and field athlete who competes in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon for Ireland and Northern Ireland. O'Connor is the Northern Irish and Irish record holder for heptathlon and indoor pentathlon. She won a Pentathlon bronze medal in the 2025 European Indoor Championships in a new national record and a silver at the World Indoor Championships a few weeks later.{{Cite news |title=Ireland's Kate O'Connor wins silver medal at World Indoor Championships |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/athletics/2025/03/21/irelands-kate-oconnor-wins-silver-medal-at-world-indoor-championships/ |access-date=2025-03-21 |work=IrishTimes.com |language=en}}
Career
Aged 17, O'Connor competed for Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth in the heptathlon.{{Cite web |last=Brennan |first=Ian |title=Historic Silver for Kate O'Connor in Heptathlon at Euro U20s |url=https://www.buzz.ie/sport/silver-for-kate-oconnor-in-heptathlon-332880 |website=Buzz.ie}}
She won a silver in the heptathlon at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships in Borås, Sweden.{{Cite news |last=O'Riordan |first=Ian |date=19 July 2019 |title=Kate O'Connor first female heptathlete to medal for Ireland |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/kate-o-connor-first-female-heptathlete-to-medal-for-ireland-1.3961768 |access-date=17 November 2020 |work=The Irish Times}}{{Cite news |date=19 July 2019 |title=O'Connor wins brilliant heptathlon silver at Euro U20s |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2019/0719/1064123-oconnor-wins-brilliant-heptathlon-silver-at-euro-u20s/ |publisher=RTE News}}
O'Connor won the silver medal competing in the heptathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, her first senior medal, behind Katarina Johnson-Thompson.{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor wins heptathlon silver at Commonwealth Games |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/athletics/2022/08/03/northern-irelands-kate-oconnor-wins-heptathlon-silver-at-commonwealth-games/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=Irish Times}}
She qualified for the heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, finishing in 13th place.{{Cite web |title=Heptathlete Kate O'Connor 'proud' of 13th place finish at World Athletics Championships |url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/other-sport/athletics/heptathlete-kate-oconnor-proud-13th-30750056 |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=Irish Mirror}}
O'Connor became the first Irish heptathlete to compete at an Olympics{{Cite web |title=Kate makes history today as Ireland’s first heptathlete to compete in Olympic Games |url=https://www.newryreporter.com/sport/other-sport/kate-makes-history-today-as-irelands-first-heptathlete-to-compete-in-olympic-games-4734695 |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=Newry Reporter}} when she finished 14th at the 2024 Paris Games.{{Cite web |title=Ireland's Kate O'Connor places 14th overall in Heptathlon |url=https://www.the42.ie/irelands-oconnor-moves-to-14th-overall-after-impressive-performance-in-the-javelin-6459175-Aug2024/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=The 42}}{{Cite web |title=O'Connor finishes 14th in first Olympic heptathlon |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/c3w6ql48enwo |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=BBC Sport}}
She set a new Irish indoor pentathlon record of 4,683 points at the Tallinn Combined Events meeting in Estonia in February 2025.{{Cite web |title=Kate O’Connor smashes Irish pentathlon record in Estonia |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics/kate-oconnor-smashes-irish-pentathlon-record-in-estonia/a1630940614.html |access-date=3 February 2025 |publisher=Irish Independent}}
O'Connor won a bronze medal in the pentathlon at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships after wining the 800m race, Setting 4 new personal bests in the Long Jump, High Jump, 60m Hurdles and in the 800m.{{Cite news |date=2025-03-09 |title=O'Connor and English bag bronzes at European Indoors |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2025/0309/1501056-oconnor-puts-herself-within-striking-distance-of-medal/ |work=RTÉ Sport |language=en}}
She claimed a silver medal in the pentathlon at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.{{Cite web |last=rorycassidy |date=2025-03-09 |title=World Athletics Indoor Championship Selections |url=https://www.athleticsireland.ie/world-athletics-indoor-championship-selections/ |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Athletics Ireland |language=en-US}}
Personal life
O'Connor began studying at the University of Texas in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=P. J. |title=18-Year-Old Kate O'Connor Breaks Irish Senior Heptathlon Record |url=https://www.balls.ie/athletics/kate-oconnor-breaks-irish-senior-heptathlon-record-409793 |website=Balls.ie}} O'Connor is coached by her father Michael. O'Connor is in a relationship with Irish footballer Georgie Kelly
Personal Bests
| class="wikitable"
|+Indoor & Outdoor !Event !Time/Mark !Date |
| 60m Hurdles (Indoor)
|8.30 |21 March 2025 |
| 100m Hurdles
|13.57 |19 August 2023 |
| 200m
|24.73 |2 August 2022 |
| Long Jump
|6.32m |21 March 2025 |
| High Jump
|1.84m |9 March 2025 |
| Shot Put
|14.64 |21 March 2025 |
| Javelin
|52.92 |19 July 2019 |
| 800m (Indoor)
|2:11.42 |9 March 2025 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
- {{Olympics.com profile|kate-o-connor}}
- {{Team Ireland|kate-oconnor}}
- [https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/kate-o-connor_1544447 Kate O'Connor] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- {{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|62409}}
- {{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|athletics/athlete-profile-n6025822-katherine-o-connor|Katherine O'Connor}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Kate}}
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Northern Ireland
Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Northern Ireland
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Olympic athletes for Ireland
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Sportspeople from Newry
Category:Athletes from County Louth
Category:Pentathletes from Northern Ireland