A THOUGHT OCCURRED to Kate O’Connor as she watched Katie Taylor fight in Croke Park: it’s possible for an Irish female athlete to be the best in the world. Why not me?
It was just good timing that Taylor’s grand finale in professional boxing happened to coincide with O’Connor’s off-season. She was attending as a fan, enjoying that brief window of freedom where she can do as she pleases before the hard work resumes.
And watching an Irish woman retire as a three-time undisputed world champion at a packed-out Croke Park, was a brilliant way to use up some of that limited time.
She was there to switch off, but watching Taylor made her dream. Maybe the world could be hers too?
It’s a question she will ponder all the more next week when she arrives in Los Angeles. The aim of the trip is to get a feel for the city where the 2028 Olympics will be held.
“It’ll probably light the fire in me,” she says. “Last time, I finished 14th. Hopefully in 2028, I’ll be on the podium. Maybe top the podium.”
An ambition that few could argue with. A European champion and world silver medallist has earned the right to say such things.
There’s still a lot of road left to travel before all that though. She has the rest of her off-season in 2026 to enjoy right now. The last few weeks have been spent attending concerts, boxing events and “loads of fun things that I normally have to say no to”.
O’Connor expects to be back on the track for some technical work around 15 October, and has been easing herself into the grind with some remote training.
She needed a break after a hectic end to her season. The Commonwealth Games and European Championships were successful outings for her, winning back-to-back gold medals in the heptathlon. But the events came at her quickly between July and August. It was time for a reset.
“I just feel more like myself now again. I feel ready to go when I want to go back to training.
“I crave that structure back, which I think is so important halfway through an Olympic cycle because it can be very intense. We really wanted to give me a substantial amount of break so that I actually wanted to come back. I think that’s really important to want to do it. It makes you realise how much you love your schedule and how much you like training, and like your life.”
O’Connor is still learning to adjust to the fame that has come with her success over the last two years. She takes lessons from each season as the support continues to swell.
“Whether that’s after competition, and I’m eating at the track and then suddenly you get swarmed, and I’m backed up against the wall, trying to sign autographs.
“How do I get myself out of those situations? There’s loads of stuff that we’ve learned this year that I think next year we’ll be better at.”
Winning a silver medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships made her a household name, and becoming the European champion this year solidified her place in the mainframe. It also gave her a tally of seven championship medals over the last 18 months.
That brings a new challenge for O’Connor. Many of her Irish fans have only ever seen her win an international medal. It’s all they know of her. Expectation starts from within, but knowing that the nation holds her to a high standard is something she’s aware of.
O'Connor celebrates with fans after winning a gold medal at the European Championships in Birmingham. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“The pressure has definitely ramped up. It’s not just me any more expecting of myself; other people are expecting and hoping too. When you’ve done great things and lifted the country, whenever you’re competing again, the country is having that same feeling.
“A couple of years ago, I could only have dreamt of feeling the pressure that I feel. Whenever you’re in it, feeling the pressure can be very daunting.
“And standing on the line of the 800 metres (the final event of the heptathlon), it’s pretty indescribable to say how you actually feel in those moments. That was probably a time when I had a ton of pressure on myself because I wanted to win.
“The whole stadium was basically Irish people. So, they all wanted me to win. And I’m aware that there’s lots of people at home that also want me to win. It is a lot, but that’s basically the name of the game.”
O’Connor has also found that the nature of the heptathlon itself has helped her gain a better understanding of pressure and performance. The seven events are stretched out over two days, meaning one mistake doesn’t dictate the outcome. She’s become rather good at managing her output during those 48 hours. One of the best, in fact.
The world might very well be hers soon. Why not her?
“There’s seven chances for you to do an extraordinary thing,” she adds. “It’s about handling your emotions and dealing with really high-pressure moments where you’ve knocked two bars, and you’ve got to clear the next bar as you’re basically out of the competition. The event has taught me to handle pressure quite well.”
****
Spar and Eurospar Team Ireland ambassador and multi-event athlete Kate O’Connor, was speaking today at Lawlor’s Hotel in Naas for the Spar and Eurospar Community Fund presentation lunch.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'It's not just me expecting of myself, other people are expecting too'
A THOUGHT OCCURRED to Kate O’Connor as she watched Katie Taylor fight in Croke Park: it’s possible for an Irish female athlete to be the best in the world. Why not me?
It was just good timing that Taylor’s grand finale in professional boxing happened to coincide with O’Connor’s off-season. She was attending as a fan, enjoying that brief window of freedom where she can do as she pleases before the hard work resumes.
And watching an Irish woman retire as a three-time undisputed world champion at a packed-out Croke Park, was a brilliant way to use up some of that limited time.
She was there to switch off, but watching Taylor made her dream. Maybe the world could be hers too?
It’s a question she will ponder all the more next week when she arrives in Los Angeles. The aim of the trip is to get a feel for the city where the 2028 Olympics will be held.
“It’ll probably light the fire in me,” she says. “Last time, I finished 14th. Hopefully in 2028, I’ll be on the podium. Maybe top the podium.”
An ambition that few could argue with. A European champion and world silver medallist has earned the right to say such things.
There’s still a lot of road left to travel before all that though. She has the rest of her off-season in 2026 to enjoy right now. The last few weeks have been spent attending concerts, boxing events and “loads of fun things that I normally have to say no to”.
O’Connor expects to be back on the track for some technical work around 15 October, and has been easing herself into the grind with some remote training.
She needed a break after a hectic end to her season. The Commonwealth Games and European Championships were successful outings for her, winning back-to-back gold medals in the heptathlon. But the events came at her quickly between July and August. It was time for a reset.
“I just feel more like myself now again. I feel ready to go when I want to go back to training.
“I crave that structure back, which I think is so important halfway through an Olympic cycle because it can be very intense. We really wanted to give me a substantial amount of break so that I actually wanted to come back. I think that’s really important to want to do it. It makes you realise how much you love your schedule and how much you like training, and like your life.”
O’Connor is still learning to adjust to the fame that has come with her success over the last two years. She takes lessons from each season as the support continues to swell.
“Whether that’s after competition, and I’m eating at the track and then suddenly you get swarmed, and I’m backed up against the wall, trying to sign autographs.
“How do I get myself out of those situations? There’s loads of stuff that we’ve learned this year that I think next year we’ll be better at.”
Winning a silver medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships made her a household name, and becoming the European champion this year solidified her place in the mainframe. It also gave her a tally of seven championship medals over the last 18 months.
That brings a new challenge for O’Connor. Many of her Irish fans have only ever seen her win an international medal. It’s all they know of her. Expectation starts from within, but knowing that the nation holds her to a high standard is something she’s aware of.
“The pressure has definitely ramped up. It’s not just me any more expecting of myself; other people are expecting and hoping too. When you’ve done great things and lifted the country, whenever you’re competing again, the country is having that same feeling.
“A couple of years ago, I could only have dreamt of feeling the pressure that I feel. Whenever you’re in it, feeling the pressure can be very daunting.
“And standing on the line of the 800 metres (the final event of the heptathlon), it’s pretty indescribable to say how you actually feel in those moments. That was probably a time when I had a ton of pressure on myself because I wanted to win.
“The whole stadium was basically Irish people. So, they all wanted me to win. And I’m aware that there’s lots of people at home that also want me to win. It is a lot, but that’s basically the name of the game.”
O’Connor has also found that the nature of the heptathlon itself has helped her gain a better understanding of pressure and performance. The seven events are stretched out over two days, meaning one mistake doesn’t dictate the outcome. She’s become rather good at managing her output during those 48 hours. One of the best, in fact.
The world might very well be hers soon. Why not her?
“There’s seven chances for you to do an extraordinary thing,” she adds. “It’s about handling your emotions and dealing with really high-pressure moments where you’ve knocked two bars, and you’ve got to clear the next bar as you’re basically out of the competition. The event has taught me to handle pressure quite well.”
****
Spar and Eurospar Team Ireland ambassador and multi-event athlete Kate O’Connor, was speaking today at Lawlor’s Hotel in Naas for the Spar and Eurospar Community Fund presentation lunch.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Athletics Commonwealth Games european athletics championships Heptathlon kate o'connor