Kate O’Connor has won silver in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with the Dundalk St Gerard’s athlete setting a new Irish record of 6,714 points in the process.
Despite a knee injury during the long jump, O’Connor delivered five personal bests across seven events, including a gutsy 2:09.56 in the decisive 800m.
Another 2025 Medal for O’Connor
O’Connor has enjoyed an incredible 2025 season. She won a bronze in the pentathlon at the European Championships and silver at the World Indoors before setting a national record at the World University Games to claim gold outdoors.
The Tokyo silver medal is the first won by an Irish athlete in a multi-discipline event at the Worlds, and O’Connor is only the sixth Irish athlete ever to reach the podium.
“I expected big things from myself”
Speaking after her silver medal success, the Irish heptathlete said:
“It’s insane, words can’t describe the way that I feel or the year that I’ve had. My indoor season was a complete dream, and I wanted to carry that form into the outdoors. I’ve never come to a championship before and had as much pressure as I’ve had on my shoulders this week. I expected big things from myself, and I knew I was in with a shot of winning a medal.
“I enjoyed every single second of the competition yesterday, but today not so much as I hurt my knee in the long jump, and it was just a real fight to the line in every event. The team around me have filled me with so much confidence today and it was just pure grit and determination that I managed to pull myself through.”
Gold went to Anna Hall (USA) with 6,881 points, while O’Connor’s rivals Taliyah Brooks (USA) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) shared bronze on 6,581.
PBs and National Record
Kate O’Connor’s competition included PBs in the 100m hurdles, high jump, 200m, and a superb 53.06m javelin throw, propelling her into medal contention.
National Heptathlon Record Summary (6,714 pts)
100m Hurdles: 13.44 PB
High Jump: 1.86m PB
Shot Put:14.37m
200m: 24.07 PB
Long Jump: 6.22m
Javelin: 53.06m PB
800m: 2:09.56 PB
O’Connor Joins Elite Group
Kate O’Connor now joins Eamonn Coghlan, Sonia O’Sullivan, Gillian O’Sullivan, Olive Loughnane, and Rob Heffernan as an Irish World Championships medallist.
1983 – Eamonn Coghlan, GOLD, 5,000m
1993 – Sonia O’Sullivan, SILVER, 1500m
1995 – Sonia O’Sullivan, GOLD, 5,000m
2003 – Gillian O’Sullivan, SILVER, 20km Walk
2009 – Olive Loughnane, GOLD, 20km Walk
2013 – Robert Heffernan, GOLD, 50km Walk
•025 – Kate O’Connor, SILVER, Heptathlon
