![]() Kate O'Connor in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Irish / Northern Irish | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Newry, Northern Ireland [1] | 12 December 2000||||||||||||||||||||
Home town | Dundalk | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | heptathlon, indoor pentathlon | ||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Dundalk St Gerard's | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Michael O'Connor | ||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
Commonwealth finals | 2018 heptathlon, 8th place | ||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | Heptathlon: 6,297 pts Indoor pentathlon: 4,683 pts [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Katherine "Kate" O'Connor (born 12 December 2000) [2] is an Irish track and field athlete, who competes in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon for Northern Ireland and Ireland. O'Connor is the Irish and Northern Irish record holder for heptathlon with 6,297 points and indoor pentathlon with 4,683 points.
Aged 17, O'Connor competed for Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth in the heptathlon. [3]
She won a silver in the heptathlon at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships in Borås, Sweden. [4] [5]
O'Connor won the silver medal competing in the heptathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, her first senior medal, behind Katarina Johnson-Thompson. [6]
She qualified for the heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, finishing in 13th place. [7]
O'Connor became the first Irish heptathlete to compete at an Olympics [8] when she finished 14th at the 2024 Paris Games. [9] [10]
She set a new Irish indoor pentathlon record of 4,683 points at the Tallinn Combined Events meeting in Estonia in February 2025. [11]
O'Connor began studying at the University of Texas in 2019. [12]
Carolina Evelyn Klüft is a retired Swedish track and field athlete who competed in the heptathlon, pentathlon, long jump and triple jump. She was an Olympic Champion, having won the heptathlon title in 2004. She was also a three-time World heptathlon champion, World Indoor pentathlon champion, a two-time European heptathlon champion and a two-time European Indoor pentathlon champion. Klüft is the only athlete ever to win three consecutive world titles in the heptathlon. She was unbeaten in 22 heptathlon and pentathlon competitions from 2002 to 2007, her entire combined events career as a senior athlete, winning nine consecutive gold medals in major championships.
Dame Denise Rosemarie Lewis is a British sports administrator and former sports presenter and athletics athlete, who specialised in the heptathlon.
Kelly Jade Sotherton is a British former heptathlete, long jumper and relay runner. In the heptathlon she was the bronze medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics and, following the disqualification of two other athletes, also at the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as being part of the bronze medal-winning team in the Women's 4x400m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics. As such she is one of only five women to win multiple medals in Olympic heptathlon. She also won a bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. Representing England, Sotherton is a one-time Commonwealth Games champion, as the heptathlon gold medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is a British retired athlete, specialising in the heptathlon and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion, and the 2010 European champion. She is also the 2010 World Indoor pentathlon champion. A member of the City of Sheffield & Dearne athletic club, she is a former British national record holder for the heptathlon. She is also a former British record holder in the 100 metres hurdles, the high jump and the indoor pentathlon.
Karin Nathalie Ruckstuhl is a former Dutch heptathlete.
Lyudmyla Leonidivna Blonska, née Shevchuk, sometimes known as Lyudmila Blonskaya, is a Ukrainian former heptathlete, pentathlete, and long jumper. She was given a lifetime ban from competition after failing a drug test at the 2008 Summer Olympics, her second doping offense.
Nataliya Dobrynska is a retired Ukrainian athlete who competed in the combined events. She is the 2008 Beijing Olympic champion and also holds the heptathlon best in the shot put. Dobrynska was the world indoor record holder for the pentathlon with a score of 5013 points until March 2023.
Jessica Zelinka is a Canadian pentathlete, heptathlete, and 100 m hurdler. Her personal best score is 6599 points for the heptathlon. She was the gold medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games. Zelinka won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and repeated her silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. At the 2012 Summer Olympics Zelinka finished in 6th overall in the heptathlon and 7th in the 100 m hurdles.
Olga RypakovaAlekseyeva; 30 November 1984) is a former Kazakhstani track and field athlete. Originally a heptathlete, she switched to focus on the long jump and began to compete in the triple jump after 2007. Her first successes came in the combined events at Asian competitions – she won the women's pentathlon at the 2005 Asian Indoor Games and took the heptathlon gold at the 2006 Asian Games the following year.
Hyleas Fountain is an American heptathlete. She was the silver medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton is a retired Canadian track and field athlete who competed in the heptathlon and women's pentathlon. She won the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Theisen-Eaton holds the Canadian record for the heptathlon with 6,808 points, as well as the indoor pentathlon with a score of 4768 points. Theisen-Eaton is a heptathlon silver medallist from the 2013 World Championships and 2015 World Championships, as well as a pentathlon silver medalist from the 2014 World Indoor Championships. She is the first and only Canadian woman to podium in the multi-events at the World Championships. Theisen-Eaton won Commonwealth Games gold in the heptathlon at Glasgow 2014 and was the 2016 World Indoor Champion in the pentathlon. She also won a bronze medal as part of the women's 4 x 400 m relay at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Wassana Winatho, also known as Amornrat Winatho and Vassanee Vinatho, is a Thai track and field athlete who specialises in the heptathlon and the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Thailand at the 2008 Summer Olympics and competed at five consecutive editions of the Asian Games.
Yuki Nakata is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the women's heptathlon. She represented Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics and has competed twice at the World Championships in Athletics. She was the silver medallist at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships and the 2010 Asian Games and has won the heptathlon at the East Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. With straight wins from 2002 to 2010, she is a nine time national champion and her best of 5962 points for the heptathlon is the national record for the event.
Sharon Day-Monroe is an American heptathlete, pentathlete and high jumper. She is the 2011, 2013, and 2014 national heptathlon champion.
Chantae McMillan is an American heptathlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Katarina Mary Johnson-Thompson, is an English athlete. A multi-eventer, she is primarily known as both a heptathlete and an indoor pentathlete. In heptathlon she is a double world champion, double Commonwealth Games champion and an Olympic and European silver medallist. In indoor pentathlon, she is a world and double European champion.
Nafissatou "Nafi" Thiam is a Belgian athlete specialising in multi-event competition. She is the first athlete with three multi-event gold medals at the Olympic Games, winning the heptathlon at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics. Her three individual Olympic golds in a row for a woman equals the record of Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland in the hammer and Faith Kipyegon in the 1500 metres Thiam is also the only Belgian athlete to successfully defend an Olympic title.
Morgan Lake is a British high jumper. She won the silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and placed fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Lake finished sixth in the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and fourth in the 2018 World Indoor Championships.
Nina Schultz is a Chinese track athlete who competes in the heptathlon and pentathlon. She was a Canadian citizen at birth and previously competed for Canada.
Anna Hall is an American athlete specializing in the combined events. She won the silver medal in the heptathlon at the 2023 World Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. Hall is the North American indoor record holder for the pentathlon.