Kate O'Connor (athlete)

Kate O'Connor

O'Connor in 2023
Personal information
Nationality	Irish / Northern Irish
Born	(2000-12-12) 12 December 2000 (age 24) Newry, Northern Ireland [1]
Home town	Dundalk
Sport
Country	Ireland   Northern Ireland
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	heptathlon, indoor pentathlon
Club	Dundalk St Gerard's
Coached by	Michael O'Connor
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Heptathlon: 6487 pts Indoor pentathlon: 4,781 pts [2]
Medal record Representing Ireland World Indoor Championships 2025 Nanjing Pentathlon European Indoor Championships 2025 Apeldoorn Pentathlon Summer World University Games 2025 Bochum Heptathlon European Athletics U20 Championships 2019 Borås Heptathlon Representing Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games 2022 Birmingham Heptathlon

Katherine O'Connor (born 12 December 2000) ^[2] is an Irish track and field athlete who competes in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon for Ireland and Northern Ireland. O'Connor is the Irish record holder for heptathlon and indoor pentathlon. She won a bronze medal in the Pentathlon at the 2025 European Indoor Championships, setting a new national record, and a silver at the World Indoor Championships a few weeks later. ^[3]

Career

Aged 17, O'Connor competed for Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth in the heptathlon. ^[4]

She won a silver in the heptathlon at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships in Borås, Sweden. ^{[5] [6]}

O'Connor won a silver medal competing in the heptathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, her first senior medal, behind Katarina Johnson-Thompson. ^[7]

She qualified for the heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, finishing in 13th place. ^[8]

O'Connor became the first Irish heptathlete to compete at an Olympics ^[9] when she finished 14th at the 2024 Paris Games. ^{[10] [11]}

She set a new Irish indoor pentathlon record of 4,683 points at the Tallinn Combined Events meeting in Estonia in February 2025. ^[12]

O'Connor won a bronze medal in the pentathlon at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships after wining the 800m race, setting 4 new personal bests in the long jump, high jump, 60m hurdles and in the 800m. ^[13]

She claimed a silver medal in the pentathlon at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. ^{[14] [3]}

She became World University Games champion in 2025. ^[15]

Personal life

O'Connor began studying at Sheffield Hallam University in 2019. O'Connor is coached by a group of coaches, led by her father Michael. O'Connor is in a relationship with Irish footballer Georgie Kelly. O'Connor is currently perusing a master's degree in Communication with PR with Ulster University. ^[16]

Personal bests

Heptathlon 6487

Indoor Pentathlon 4781

Indoor & Outdoor

Event	Time/Mark	Date
60m Hurdles (Indoor)	8.30	21 March 2025
100m Hurdles	13.57	19 August 2023
200m	24.33	23 July 2025
Long Jump	6.32m	21 March 2025
High Jump	1.84m	9 March 2025
Shot Put	14.64	21 March 2025
Javelin	52.92	19 July 2019
800m	2:10.46	24 July 2025

National Championship Results

Year	Jav	SP	LJ	H
2024			—	—
2023	—	—
2023 Indoor	—		4th
2022				—
2020		4th	—	—

*Jav = Javelin, SP = Shot Put, H = Hurdles 60/100, LJ = Long Jump

References

1. "Kate O'Connor wins heptathlon silver at the European Under-20 Championships". BBC Sport. 19 July 2019.
2. "World Athletics - Athlete: Kate O'Connor". World Athletics.
3. "Ireland's Kate O'Connor wins silver medal at World Indoor Championships". IrishTimes.com . Retrieved 21 March 2025.
4. Brennan, Ian. "Historic Silver for Kate O'Connor in Heptathlon at Euro U20s". Buzz.ie. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
5. O'Riordan, Ian (19 July 2019). "Kate O'Connor first female heptathlete to medal for Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
6. "O'Connor wins brilliant heptathlon silver at Euro U20s". RTE News. 19 July 2019.
7. "Northern Ireland's Kate O'Connor wins heptathlon silver at Commonwealth Games". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
8. "Heptathlete Kate O'Connor 'proud' of 13th place finish at World Athletics Championships". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
9. "Kate makes history today as Ireland's first heptathlete to compete in Olympic Games". Newry Reporter. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
10. "Ireland's Kate O'Connor places 14th overall in Heptathlon". The 42. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
11. "O'Connor finishes 14th in first Olympic heptathlon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
12. "Kate O'Connor smashes Irish pentathlon record in Estonia". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
13. "O'Connor and English bag bronzes at European Indoors". RTÉ Sport . 9 March 2025.
14. rorycassidy (9 March 2025). "World Athletics Indoor Championship Selections". Athletics Ireland . Retrieved 10 March 2025.
15. 'Kate O'Connor delivers a gold medal at the World University Games'. RTÉ Sport, 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025
16. "Ulster Sports Stars Take on Paris 2024 Olympics". Ulster University. 5 August 2024.

External links

• Kate O'Connor at World Athletics
• Kate O'Connor at Olympics.com
• Kate O'Connor at the Olympic Federation of Ireland
• Kate O'Connor at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
• Kate O'Connor at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
• Katherine O'Connor at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (archived)