Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor shares photo with footballer boyfriend
Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with boyfriend, Irish striker Georgie Kelly, as the couple enjoy some downtime on holidays in Portugal.
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'.
Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background.
She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories.
Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
Kate and Georgie on holidays
News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29
Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time.
'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.'
It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors.
She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level.
She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland.
'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.'
For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle.
In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'.
'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time.
'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack.
'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.'
He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle.
But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made.
'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says.
'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.'
However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy.
'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August.
'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work.
'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
28 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Alex Dunne claims another F2 podium finish as Pepe Marti's Hungaroring victory subject to stewards' review
Marti led from the lights but was pushed all the way by Rodin Motorsport's Dunne, who mounted a late charge after muscling past Arvid Lindblad in a bold move that split the Campos teammates. The 19-year-old Offaly driver closed to within DRS range on the final lap, but Marti defended aggressively, with Dunne forced wide on the penultimate corner after a last-ditch overtake attempt around the outside. The Irishman was very unhappy in the aftermath, claiming he had been 'brake-tested' by Marti earlier behind the safety car. The Campos driver is under investigation for a possible delta time breach, while Dunne himself was noted for a yellow flag infringement. Jak Crawford completed the podium after finally getting past Lindblad in the closing laps. The American's persistence paid off after a safety car, triggered by Sebastian Montoya's stranded PREMA, bunched up the field and reignited the battle behind the leaders. Pole-sitter Roman Stanek saw his race unravel early on after contact with PREMA's Gabriele Mini, who received a 10-second penalty for spinning the Czech driver out of contention. Montoya impressed early, climbing from 21st to 14th before his retirement. Further back, Williams juniors Luke Browning and Victor Martins fought hard for fifth, while John Bennett was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Montoya off track earlier in the race. Despite crossing the line second, Dunne was left frustrated by Marti's defensive tactics but with the stewards still to make their final call, the result may yet change. Regardless, it was another strong showing from the Irish driver as he continues to underline his growing credentials in the paddock. The provisional results see Dunne move joint third in the standings on 122 points, level with Crawford with Richard Verschoor a further point ahead and Leonardo Fornaroli top on 127 ahead of tomorrow's feature race.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Bohs sued for €100k over alleged breach of contract switch to Norwegian ticket supplier
Bohemian Football Club has been sued in the High Court for €100,000 for alleged breach of contract by an Irish ticketing company after the Dublin club switched to a Norwegian provider.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Australia v Lions – Match resumes after weather delay as Andy Farrell's men fall further behind in Sydney
Live | In the third and final Test of the British and Irish Lions' successful tour of Australia, Andy Farrell's men will be seeking to make history with another victory against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies. Two-nil up from the first Tests, the Lions will be seeking a whitewash, not done by a Lions squad since the 1927 tour of Argentina. However, the game was delayed at the half-time break due to a lightning storm in Sydney. The game eventually resumed at 12.50pm Irish time after passing weather protocols. Catch the match action here.
