IRELAND’S KATE O’Connor has placed 14th overall in the Women’s Heptathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Dundalk native tallied 6167 points. The gold medal winner, Nafissatou ‘Nafi’ Thiam of Belgium, signed off with a total of 6880 points. Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson (6844 points) and Belgium’s Noor Vidts (6707 points) took silver and bronze.
O’Connor, 23, finished the gruelling seven-event competition with a sixth-place finish in her 800m race. She clocked a time of 2:13.3, which was inside her season’s best and ultimately kept her in 14th place overall.
“It was an enjoyable two days, a lot of highs and a lot of lows but overall very enjoyable,” she reflected.
Speaking to RTÉ, O’Connor said: “It’s amazing. There are so many Ireland flags around, it’s amazing.
“I was trying to go up the tiers and give everybody a wave, which is a beautiful thing about multi-events, you go around and appreciate the crowd and thank everybody for supporting me — it pushes me on a little further, and every smiling face that is looking down on me makes me realise why I do it all.
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“There’s loads of little kids out there and I try to give them all a little wave because I’d love to inspire people to do, not just track and field, but multi-events. It’s a brilliant sport. I might be a little bit biased but I think multi-events is one of the best in track and field.”
This morning, O’Connor threw 50.36m in the javelin to move up the rankings.
Only two athletes of the 10 competing in Group B performed better than the Irishwoman in that event. In addition, it was a superior result to any of the 11 competitors in Group A registered.
O'Connor celebrates afterwards. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
O’Connor had been 19th after her opening day of action on Thursday, encompassing 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m.
She moved up to 18th after a best jump of 5.79m in the long jump earlier today, the seventh-best effort out of 11 competitors in Group A.
O’Connor was Ireland’s first-ever heptathlete to compete at an Olympics.
“In Ireland we have a lot of great track athletes and that gets showcased really, really well at home — and sometimes I feel like us field eventers are left out a little bit,” she added, with a nod to Nicola Tuthill and Eric Favors.
“We’re starting to push ourselves forward on the biggest stage and make moves. We’re not finishing down the bottom of the field, we’re finishing mid to high in the field.
“I just want to show everybody at home that there’s more to track and field than the track, and field events are just as fun and just as great. I’m hoping to push that forward, keep showing up and hopefully inspire the next generation.”
O’Connor is coached by her father, Michael. “I saw him in the crowd and he was actually in tears. I know that he’s delighted with me.”
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Ireland's Kate O'Connor places 14th overall in Heptathlon
LAST UPDATE | 9 Aug 2024
IRELAND’S KATE O’Connor has placed 14th overall in the Women’s Heptathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Dundalk native tallied 6167 points. The gold medal winner, Nafissatou ‘Nafi’ Thiam of Belgium, signed off with a total of 6880 points. Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson (6844 points) and Belgium’s Noor Vidts (6707 points) took silver and bronze.
O’Connor, 23, finished the gruelling seven-event competition with a sixth-place finish in her 800m race. She clocked a time of 2:13.3, which was inside her season’s best and ultimately kept her in 14th place overall.
“It was an enjoyable two days, a lot of highs and a lot of lows but overall very enjoyable,” she reflected.
Speaking to RTÉ, O’Connor said: “It’s amazing. There are so many Ireland flags around, it’s amazing.
“There’s loads of little kids out there and I try to give them all a little wave because I’d love to inspire people to do, not just track and field, but multi-events. It’s a brilliant sport. I might be a little bit biased but I think multi-events is one of the best in track and field.”
This morning, O’Connor threw 50.36m in the javelin to move up the rankings.
Only two athletes of the 10 competing in Group B performed better than the Irishwoman in that event. In addition, it was a superior result to any of the 11 competitors in Group A registered.
O’Connor had been 19th after her opening day of action on Thursday, encompassing 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m.
She moved up to 18th after a best jump of 5.79m in the long jump earlier today, the seventh-best effort out of 11 competitors in Group A.
O’Connor was Ireland’s first-ever heptathlete to compete at an Olympics.
“In Ireland we have a lot of great track athletes and that gets showcased really, really well at home — and sometimes I feel like us field eventers are left out a little bit,” she added, with a nod to Nicola Tuthill and Eric Favors.
“I just want to show everybody at home that there’s more to track and field than the track, and field events are just as fun and just as great. I’m hoping to push that forward, keep showing up and hopefully inspire the next generation.”
O’Connor is coached by her father, Michael. “I saw him in the crowd and he was actually in tears. I know that he’s delighted with me.”
- Additional reporting from Emma Duffy
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