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Irish Independent
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘I want to turn up and put it up to the girls' – Kate O'Connor says indoor season has put her in bracket to contend
'My whole team focus has kind of changed,' she says. 'In previous years, we've gone to championships and I've looked up to those girls, where now it's a little bit more like I want to turn up and put it up to the girls. 'I think my indoor season has put me in the bracket [where] I will definitely be up there. I think it'll take another couple of years to be challenging for the top spot, and that's ultimately my goal.' The 24-year-old multi-eventer is currently in Monte Gordo, Portugal, churning out twice-daily sessions while tipping away on her dissertation for a master's in communication and PR. O'Connor was a European U-20 silver medallist in 2019 and Commonwealth Games silver medallist for Northern Ireland in 2022, but this year brought her first senior medals for Ireland: pentathlon bronze at the European Indoors and World Indoors silver. In recent weeks, the Dundalk native signed a professional deal with adidas, which helps cover the considerable expense of being a world-class heptathlete. 'Financially, it's definitely getting better,' she says. 'The backing I've got since indoors is on the up and over the next couple of years that'll come into play and see the benefits. Obviously, I'd love it to be more and I'd love to be able to bring my whole coaching staff with me and not have to choose based on budget.' O'Connor wants to become a full-time athlete once she finishes her master's degree in September. 'It definitely helps whenever you have that extra time especially with my event taking up so much time training-wise. There are pros and cons to having something outside of athletics because you never know when the next injuries are in the corner or when things aren't going 100pc well on the track. 'I've always had something else or another part of my identity, which has been university.' Before this year, few outside of athletics knew much about O'Connor, but her indoor campaign made her a well-known name. That comes with certain demands. 'It's taken a little bit of time to figure out what to say yes to and what to say no to. I would probably be a little bit of a people-pleaser and I'd have been saying yes to a lot of stuff, then suddenly starting to feel really overwhelmed and trying to fit training in. 'At the start, I was very naïve, thinking in the three weeks I took off afterwards [that] I was going to be able to fit everything in and then it would just stop and it would all go away and I'd be able to go back to normal. My dad has been a great help, dealing with all the emails, requests. He's been taking the brunt and I've been able to focus on training.' With the World Championships over 10 weeks away, O'Connor has been in no rush to open her season early and will only do so at the World University Games on July 23, where she hopes to break her Irish heptathlon record of 6,297 points and surpass 6,500. That kind of score is typically top six at World or Olympic level, with 6,700 or 6,800 usually needed for a medal. O'Connor has put huge emphasis on improving her speed this year, which she hopes will result in her breaking 24 seconds for 200m, while her javelin PB of 52.92m dates back to 2019 and looks ripe for revision. 'Everything is going well, I'm in the same sort of shape I was indoors, if not better,' she says. 'If you can turn up and your body's in good condition, then I think that anything can happen if you put the performances together.' Kate O'Connor was speaking at the launch of Athletics Ireland's extended partnership with which will run to the end of 2030 in a multi-year six-figure deal.
Irish Examiner
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kate O'Connor aiming to topple the pentathletes she once aspired to be like
The indoor campaign was a dream come true: Kate O'Connor's first two senior medals for Ireland arriving in one sweet and savoured fortnight. But she's working just as hard for the encore, the Dundalk multi-eventer preparing to open her outdoor season at the World University Games in Germany on 23 July, after which all roads will lead to Tokyo for the World Championships in September. 'My training, honestly, has been going really, really well,' says O'Connor. 'If I could just stay in the condition that I am right now, hold it until September, I think that I'll put together a pretty good performance.' The 24-year-old is currently in Monte Gordo, Portugal, churning out twice-daily sessions while tipping away on her dissertation for a masters in communication and PR at Ulster University. O'Connor was a European U-20 silver medallist in 2019 and Commonwealth Games silver medallist for Northern Ireland in 2022 but this year brought her first senior medals for Ireland: pentathlon bronze at the European Indoors and pentathlon silver at the World Indoors. They've changed how she's thinking about upcoming events. 'In previous years, we've gone to championships and I've looked up to those girls, where now it's a little bit more like I want to turn up and put it up to the girls,' she says. 'I think my indoor season has put me in the bracket [where] I will definitely be up there. I think it'll take another couple of years to be challenging for the top spot, and that's ultimately my goal.' Irish pentathlete Kate O'Connor during the announcement of extended landmark partnership with Athletics Irelandnow running through to the end of 2030 as part of a multi-year, six-figure deal. For more information, visit Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile O'Connor signed a professional deal with adidas, which helps cover the considerable expense of being a world-class heptathlete. 'Financially, it's definitely getting better,' she says. 'The backing I've got since indoors is on the up and over the next couple of years that'll come into play and see the benefits. Obviously, I'd love it to be more and I'd love to be able to bring my whole coaching staff with me and not have to choose based on budget.' Before this year, few outside of athletics knew much about O'Connor but her indoor campaign made her a well-known name. That comes with certain demands. 'It's taken a little bit of time to figure out what to say yes to and what to say no to,' she says. 'I would probably be a little bit of a people pleaser and I'd have been saying yes to a lot of stuff, then suddenly starting to feel really overwhelmed and trying to fit training in. "At the start I was very naïve, thinking in the three weeks I took off afterwards (that) I was going to be able to fit everything in and then it would just stop and I'd be able to go back to normal. "My dad has been a great help, dealing with all the emails, requests. He's been taking the brunt and I've been able to focus on training.' With the World Championships still over 10 weeks away, O'Connor was in no rush to open her season too early and she will only do so when she toes the line for the heptathlon at the World University Games later this month, where she hopes to break her Irish record of 6297 points and also surpass 6500. That kind of score would typically be top-six at World or Olympic level, with 6700 or 6800 points usually needed for a medal. O'Connor has put huge emphasis on improving her speed this year and hopes to break 24 seconds for 200m, while her javelin PB of 52.92m dates to 2019 and looks ripe for revision. The addition of both to her indoor disciplines would see the Irish heptathlon record soar into very different territory. 'Everything is going well, I'm in the same sort of shape I was indoors, if not better,' she says. 'If you can turn up and your body's in good condition, then I think that anything can happen if you put the performances together.' Kate O'Connor was speaking at the launch of Athletics Ireland's extended partnership with
Irish Independent
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Lavin stars in 100m but Ireland fall short in their top tier promotion bid in Slovenia
The Irish amassed 349 points across the two-day event, leaving them adrift of the top-three nations who were promoted to the first division: Belgium (451.5), Slovenia (402.5) and Norway (400). Lavin was the sole Irish winner across the weekend, her winning time of 12.82 in still conditions just shy of her season's best of 12.76, which she ran in Ostrava earlier in the week. On Saturday, she also helped the Irish women's 4x100m team to third place. Ireland had been slumming it in division three at the last edition of this event in 2023, but finished top of the standings to bounce straight back. They had been relegated to the third tier due to their no-show in 2021 because of the quarantine requirements at the time. Since the European Cup was replaced by the European Team Championships in 2009, Ireland has otherwise occupied the mid-table positions in the second tier, never lower than 10th, but never likely to get promoted, with this being their best result in that time. Ireland is undoubtedly a division one nation on the track but the relative weakness in field events, coupled with the absence of many star names, makes it hard to make that a reality. 'Of course we'd love to be top three,' said Lavin. 'I think, particularly in recent years, Ireland belong in that first division with the powerhouses of Europe.' Lavin is never one to turn down an Irish vest and she again made a key contribution here. 'To get maximum points for the team was the priority – I was number three on season's best,' she said. 'It's 11 weeks today to Tokyo round one and that's the big one this year, but any opportunity you can take to put on your country's singlet, you want to represent it to the maximum of your capabilities.' Another of their leading performers was Nicola Tuthill, who produced the second biggest throw of her career to take third in the women's hammer. The Cork athlete survived some nervy moments after opening with two fouls before unleashing a 68.30m throw to ensure three more chances. She threw her leading mark of 70.50m in the fourth round, and one of her subsequent fouls was a huge throw, close to her recent Irish U-23 record of 71.71m in Finland. 'It was not my best competition,' said Tuthill. 'I am proud of myself for getting one in (in the third round) because I was getting really stressed there, but then I got over 70. I'm disappointed the fouls weren't in the sector.' The action concluded with the mixed 4x400m where Jack Raftery, Cliodhna Manning, Callum Baird and Sharlene Mawdsley finished second in their heat, and fourth overall, in 3:14.81. Elsewhere, Cian McPhillips showed impressive closing speed to come from well behind and finish third in the men's 800m, the Longford native clocking 1:46.37. 'It's been a bit of a rough season, I'm only getting back from injury after the European Indoors,' he said. 'I wasn't sure what shape I was in, but I knew whatever I did run would be a start point and hopefully I'll go a bit quicker over the coming months. The two guys ahead of me are 1:44 flat (800m) and 3:31 (1500m) guys, I'm up there with the best. I couldn't ask for much more.' Laura Nicholson turned in an impressive front-running display in the women's 1500m and battled strongly for fourth place in 4:20.48. Finley Daly finished a fine fourth in the 3000m steeplechase in 8:51.89, while Róisín Flanagan finished sixth in the 5000m in 16:04.21. Adam Nolan suffered a dangerous fall in the 110m hurdles and insult was added to injury when he was disqualified for failing to clear the final barrier. Lauren Roy came home fifth in the women's 200m in 23.32, while Marcus Lawler was sixth in the men's race in 20.81. Niamh Fogarty threw a personal best of 14.29m to finish seventh in the shot put.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Mark English moves into world-class territory as he lowers Irish 800m record
Mark English became the first Irish athlete to break the 1:44-barrier in the 800 metres as he clocked 1:43.92 to win the FBK Games in the Dutch city of Hengelo on Monday evening. At age 32, it's shaping up to be the season of his life as English once again displayed all his racing experience to take the win on the latest stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series. His 1:43.92 improved his previous best of 1:44.34, set when winning the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland last Friday week. Last summer, he'd improved the Irish record to 1:44.53, and is now running in properly world-class 800m territory. Sitting in third coming into the homestretch, a few metres down on Peter Sisk from Belgium and Yanis Meziane from France, English coolly kicked past them both in the last 50m. Meziane held on for second in 1:44.32, with Craig Payton from Australia given the same time in third. Sisk faded right back to seventh. READ MORE After pacemaker Simon Mohlosi took them to the bell in 49.20, a fast time was clearly on. English bided his time, however, the Donegal athlete keeping his finishing kick until it mattered most. English won his fifth European medal back in March, taking bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, adding to his two outdoor medals, and another two indoors. Over the winter English moved to Australian coach Justin Rinaldi, and continues to take a break from his medical career. He'd already run well inside the automatic qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships of 1:44.50, and in this form will certainly fancy his chances of making the final when those championships take place in September.
Irish Independent
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Mark English produces career highlight to break his own Irish 800m record in Poland
That rewrote the national record of 1:44.53 that English ran in June last year and continued his fine start to the outdoor season, having clocked 1:44.75 to also win in Los Angeles last weekend. Once again, English unleashed a flying last 100 metres, having run towards the front throughout, and his kick carried him clear of Croatia's Marino Bloudek (1:44.74) and Poland's Filip Ostrowski (1:44.96). The Donegal native has taken time out from his medical career and is currently a full-time athlete, training under the guidance of Australian coach Justin Rinaldi. In March, English claimed his fifth European medal, winning 800m bronze at the European Indoors in the Netherlands. Cathal Doyle also impressed in Bydgoszcz, the Dubliner clocking 3:34.67 to finish third in the 1500m behind Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (3:33.30) and Italy's Federico Riva (3:33.79). Doyle had opened his season with a 3:33.32 clocking at the Rabat Diamond League last weekend and his latest run, while short of the automatic world qualifying standard, will again improve his world ranking and all but ensure his place in Tokyo later this year. Jodie McCann was in action in the women's 1500m in Bydgoszcz, the Paris Olympian clocking 4:09.78 to finish eighth, a race won by Poland's Weronika Lisakowska in 4:01.99.
