Kate O’Connor delivered across seven events and two gripping days to claim European heptathlon gold in Birmingham. Watch every discipline from her championship winning performance below.
The Dundalk St Gerard’s AC athlete amassed 6,751 points, finishing 38 clear of Dutch silver medallist Emma Oosterwegel.
O’Connor began the competition in 11th place after the hurdles, climbed to second following the high jump and ended the opening day sitting third overall.
A huge long jump kept her within touching distance of the lead before the javelin sent her to the top of the standings. She then completed the job in the 800m, remaining close behind Oosterwegel to secure the title.
Here is how O’Connor’s golden campaign unfolded, event by event.
Event One: 100m Hurdles
O’Connor opened her heptathlon with a personal best of 13.30 seconds in the 100m hurdles.
She finished fourth in the second heat, earning 1,080 points and placing 11th overall after the first discipline.
It gave the Irishwoman a solid foundation, with six events still to come.
Event Two: High Jump
The high jump provided the first major leap up the standings.
O’Connor cleared 1.86m on her third attempt, placing joint first in the event and collecting 1,054 points.
Her combined total rose to 2,134, moving her from 11th to second overall and leaving her only one point behind leader Adrianna Sułek Schubert.
Event Three: Shot Put
O’Connor continued her medal charge with a best throw of 13.96m in the shot put.
The performance earned her 791 points and brought her overall score to 2,925.
She retained second place in the standings, sitting 47 points behind Sułek Schubert as the opening day moved towards its conclusion.
Event Four: 200m
The final event on Friday saw O’Connor take to the track for the 200m.
She finished fourth in the second heat in 23.79 seconds, adding another 1,001 points to her tally.
O’Connor ended day one in third place on 3,926 points. She was only 42 points behind Sułek Schubert and 18 behind Sofie Dokter, leaving the European title very much within reach.
Event Five: Long Jump
O’Connor resumed her campaign on Saturday morning with one of her biggest performances of the competition.
A huge jump of 6.55m placed her third in the event and delivered 1,023 points.
Her overall total climbed to 4,949. New leader Annik Kälin held 4,955, with Dokter on 4,954, meaning only six points separated the leading three athletes.
With two events remaining, the battle for gold was wide open.
Event Six: Javelin
The javelin has long been one of O’Connor’s strongest events, and it changed the entire complexion of the competition.
She launched the implement out to 50.16m, placing third in the discipline and collecting 863 points.
That throw moved O’Connor into the overall lead on 5,812 points. She entered the final event 51 points ahead of Oosterwegel and 71 clear of Dokter.
For the first time in the competition, the Irishwoman was in control of the race for gold.
Event Seven: 800m
European gold would be decided over two final laps of the track.
Oosterwegel needed to finish approximately three and a half seconds ahead of O’Connor to overturn the points deficit.
The Dutchwoman won the race in 2:10.87, but O’Connor remained close throughout and crossed the line third in 2:11.74.
Less than one second separated the pair, giving O’Connor 939 points and confirming her as European champion with a final score of 6,751.
O’Connor Crowned European Champion
O’Connor finished 38 points ahead of Oosterwegel, who claimed silver with 6,713. Dokter completed the podium in third.
It was a magnificent performance across all seven disciplines. O’Connor rose from 11th after the opening event to first before the finale, producing big results whenever the pressure increased.
Seven events, 6,751 points and one European gold medal. Kate O’Connor had completed the finest outdoor championship victory of her career.
