Olympics: Mixed start for Kate O'Connor in heptathlon

ON THE UP: Ireland's Kate O'Connor following the Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles at the Stade de France. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Kate O’Connor had a mixed opening morning in the heptathlon at the Stade de France, the Dundalk athlete well off her best in the 100m hurdles but bouncing back brilliantly with a season’s best in the high jump.

The 23-year-old is Ireland’s first-ever Olympian in the heptathlon, though her Games didn’t get off to the start she wanted, O’Connor left behind in the first of seven events, clocking 14.08 in the 100m hurdles. 

That was well down on the 13.57 she ran at the World Championships in Budapest last year and the 13.94 season’s bests she ran in both May and June.

It left her at the back of the 22-strong field as she headed to the high jump, where O’Connor recovered well to soar over a season’s best of 1.77m at the third time of asking. 

Kate O’Connor of Team Ireland with her father and coach Michael O'Connor. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

That earned her 941 points and moved her up to 19th overall with a total of 1908 points. 

O’Connor has the shot put to come at 6.35pm Irish time this evening followed by the 200m at 7.55pm.

Making it to the Games was a triumph in itself for O’Connor, who was cruelly denied an almost certain place for the Tokyo Games three years ago after suffering a stress fracture at one of the last qualifying events which she described as “one of the most heartbreaking things ever.” 

O’Connor was a richly talented junior who won European U-20 silver in 2019 and later smashed the Irish heptathlon record with 6297 points, which she is targeting again in Paris.

“After the last Olympics and so narrowly missing out, I wanted to put everything I had into getting to this one,” she says. “I didn’t want to have any regrets and I believed in myself. I knew I was more than capable.”