Kate O'Connor gets off to strong start at World Indoors
STRONG START: Kate O'Connor competes in the Women's high jump event. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Kate O’Connor got her medal mission off to a solid start at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland on Sunday morning, the Dundalk star clocking 8.23 in the opening event of the pentathlon, the 60m hurdles.
She followed that up with a 1.81m clearance in the high jump, which has her sitting third with two of the five events completed. O’Connor has so far racked up 2068 points, with US star Anna Hall second on 2117 and Sofie Dokter of the Netherlands currently out in front with 2153.
O’Connor’s hurdles time was just off her lifetime best of 8.21, which she ran at the recent nationals in Dublin, and it set her up well for a busy day at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena.
Victory in the 60m hurdles went to US superstar Anna Hall, who clocked 8.18, while Dokter, who beat O’Connor at the European Indoors last year, broke new ground with a personal best of 8.19 in second.Â
Dokter continued her flying form in the high jump, going over a lifetime best of 1.87m to move into the lead.
O’Connor endured some nervous moments in the high jump and required a third attempt to go over 1.81m, having had to abort her initial try after slipping on a mat while starting her run-up.
She was visibly frustrated after failing three times at 1.84m, given she cleared a PB of 1.86m en route to World Championship silver in Tokyo last year.
She will be back just after midday Irish time in the shot put. This evening, she will contest the long jump followed by the concluding 800m at 7.03pm Irish time, where she will be bidding to win her fifth consecutive medal at major championships, having won silver at this event in Nanjing last year.
While Hall is heavily favoured to take gold, based on her strength in the events to follow, O’Connor is likely to end up in a battle with Dokter for silver. The Dundalk athlete is a stronger thrower in the shot put and quicker over 800m, though Dokter has the better PB in the long jump.
Sarah Lavin is the only other Irish athlete in action on the final day of the championships, the Limerick hurdler going in heat one of the women’s 60m hurdles at 11.55am, where a top-three finish is needed to automatically advance, with six overall time qualifier spots also available for this evening’s semi-finals.
Kate O’Connor: shot put 12.21pm; long jump, 4.40pm; 800m, 7.03pm
Sarah Lavin, women’s 60m hurdles heats,11.55am; *semi-final, 5.51pm; *final, 6.38pm
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