🇮🇪 Kate O’Connor Sets Her Sights on Global Glory
Kate O’Connor is no longer just one to watch — she’s one to beat.
With European and World Indoor medals now in her collection, the 24-year-old heptathlete enters a new phase of her career: not just competing with the world’s best, but challenging them. As she prepares for two major summer events — the World University Games in Germany later this month and the World Championships in Tokyo in September — O’Connor is thinking big.
“My whole team focus has kind of changed,” she says. “Before, I’d go to championships looking up to the top girls. Now I’m going there to put it up to them.”
🏆 Belief Born from Breakthrough
O’Connor’s confidence is rooted in a sensational indoor season, where she claimed bronze in the European Indoors pentathlon and silver at the World Indoors. These were her first senior medals in an Irish vest, after earlier success as a European U20 silver medallist in 2019 and a Commonwealth Games silver medallist for Northern Ireland in 2022.
“I definitely feel like I’m in that bracket now,” she says. “It’ll take another couple of years to challenge for the very top, but that’s the ultimate goal.”
📍 Monte Gordo Grind
Currently training in Monte Gordo, Portugal, O’Connor is putting in two sessions a day while juggling the final stages of a master’s degree in communication and PR. It’s a heavy workload, but one she’s handling with focus and ambition.
“I’ve always had something outside athletics – like university – to keep me grounded,” she says. “You never know when injury or setbacks can hit. It helps to have more than one identity.”
💼 Backed by Adidas
Earlier this year, O’Connor signed a professional deal with adidas, giving her much-needed support in one of the most demanding events in sport. It marks another step towards her goal of becoming a full-time athlete after her degree wraps up in September.
“Financially, it’s getting better,” she says. “The support since indoors has really grown. Ideally, I’d love to bring my full coaching team to every event and not have to make decisions based on budget.”
🌍 Bigger Platform, Bigger Pressure
O’Connor’s success has brought increased public attention, and with it, new challenges. “At first, I said yes to everything — media, events, interviews — but it quickly got overwhelming,” she admits. “My dad’s been amazing, stepping in to handle the flood of emails so I can concentrate on training.”
“I thought three weeks off after indoors would be enough to reset everything, but I quickly realised the attention doesn’t just stop. You have to learn how to manage it.”
🎯 Record-Breaking Goals
O’Connor will open her season at the World University Games on July 23, where she hopes to surpass her own Irish heptathlon record of 6,297 points. Her target? Break 6,500 — a score that would place her among the world’s elite.
“I’ve focused hard on my speed this year,” she says. “If I can break 24 seconds in the 200m and improve on my javelin — my PB is from 2019 — I’ll be in a great place.”
With the World Championships just over 10 weeks away, her timing is spot on. “I’m in similar shape to indoors, maybe even better. If the body’s in good condition, anything’s possible when you put the events together.”
🤝 Powered by Partnership
Kate O’Connor was speaking at the launch of Athletics Ireland’s extended sponsorship deal with 123.ie, a six-figure partnership running until 2030. With big backing and even bigger ambition, the Dundalk native is ready to take on the world.
