KATE O’CONNOR SAYS she “learned a lot” throughout the seven heptathlon events which ended in a gold medal for the 25-year-old at the Commonwealth Games.
The Dundalk AC star stormed to victory in the 800m, which was the final event, to complete her quest for the gold medal on Wednesday night. O’Connor was in a commanding position to top the podium throughout the heptathlon, winning five of the seven events at the Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow.
She was the overnight leader after the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m on the opening day of competition. O’Connor maintained her composure through the long jump, javelin and 800m to finish as the champion.
Northern Ireland have their first gold in Glasgow! 🥇
“I had the privilege of standing on the line knowing I just had to get around the two laps, and I’d have the gold medal wrapped around my neck,” said O’Connor.
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“But I wanted it to be a little more than that and put on a bit of a show. So, I bided my time to strike when I thought it was right, and I managed to get the win.
“I was in no rush to get into the lead and just wanted to be in the lead by the time I crossed the line, so I was able to strike with about 70 or 50 metres to go.”
This achievement builds on a memorable 2025 for O’Connor, who won a gold medal at the Summer World University Games. She also earned silver medals at the World Championships and World Indoor Championships, while also picking up bronze at the latter event earlier this year.
O’Connor will be aiming for more success at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, which begin on 10 August.
“It was tough. I learned a lot in this competition. I came in hoping for a huge score because I feel like I’m in the position and I had done all the training to do that. But yesterday made me realise that this is a championship, and it’s not about scoring big. It’s about winning medals and I had to shift my focus away from scoring a new personal best to trying to win a gold medal.
“Once I did that, I really enjoyed today. And I enjoyed all the performances and got the gold.”
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'I learned a lot in this competition': O'Connor reflects on Commonwealth Games gold medal
KATE O’CONNOR SAYS she “learned a lot” throughout the seven heptathlon events which ended in a gold medal for the 25-year-old at the Commonwealth Games.
The Dundalk AC star stormed to victory in the 800m, which was the final event, to complete her quest for the gold medal on Wednesday night. O’Connor was in a commanding position to top the podium throughout the heptathlon, winning five of the seven events at the Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow.
She was the overnight leader after the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m on the opening day of competition. O’Connor maintained her composure through the long jump, javelin and 800m to finish as the champion.
“I had the privilege of standing on the line knowing I just had to get around the two laps, and I’d have the gold medal wrapped around my neck,” said O’Connor.
“But I wanted it to be a little more than that and put on a bit of a show. So, I bided my time to strike when I thought it was right, and I managed to get the win.
“I was in no rush to get into the lead and just wanted to be in the lead by the time I crossed the line, so I was able to strike with about 70 or 50 metres to go.”
This achievement builds on a memorable 2025 for O’Connor, who won a gold medal at the Summer World University Games. She also earned silver medals at the World Championships and World Indoor Championships, while also picking up bronze at the latter event earlier this year.
O’Connor will be aiming for more success at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, which begin on 10 August.
“It was tough. I learned a lot in this competition. I came in hoping for a huge score because I feel like I’m in the position and I had done all the training to do that. But yesterday made me realise that this is a championship, and it’s not about scoring big. It’s about winning medals and I had to shift my focus away from scoring a new personal best to trying to win a gold medal.
“Once I did that, I really enjoyed today. And I enjoyed all the performances and got the gold.”
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Athletics Commonwealth Games Heptathlon kate o'connor Top Of The Tree