Kate O'Connor targets Olympic podium after successful 2026 season

heptathlon European Athletics Championships Commonwealth Games Irish athletics 2028 Olympics

Irish heptathlete Kate O'Connor is reflecting on her recent competitive successes and the pressures of elite athletics. Following a highly successful 2026 season, which included winning gold medals at both the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham and the Commonwealth Games, O'Connor holds senior national records for the outdoor heptathlon and indoor pentathlon.

O'Connor has expressed ambitions for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, aiming for a podium finish after previously placing 14th. She noted that watching boxer Katie Taylor compete at Croke Park served as inspiration for her own potential to reach the top of the world rankings.

In addition to her training, O'Connor has partnered with SPAR and EUROSPAR for their Community Sports Fund, a €60,000 initiative designed to support various sports clubs across Ireland.

Entities

Kate O'Connor · Katie Taylor · SPAR

Sources

Olympian Kate O'Connor jokes her family don't see athletics as a 'real job' [evoke.ie]

2 days ago

'It's not just me expecting of myself, other people are expecting too' [www.the42.ie]

2 days ago