Dundalk's O'Connor makes Olympic debut

Dundalk heptathlete, Kate O'Connor, started her Paris 2024 Olympic journey on Thursday morning at the Stade de France, marking a historic moment as the first Irish athlete to compete in the women's heptathlon at the Olympic Games.

The heptathlon is a demanding two-day event, that consists of seven disciplines: 100m hurdles, 200m, 800m, high jump, long jump, shot put, and javelin throw, each requiring a blend of speed, strength, and endurance.

The opening event, the 100m hurdles, seen the 23-year-old lining up in lane seven of the first heat. Despite a brave effort, she finished seventh with a time of 14.08 seconds, earning 967 points.

The morning session continued with a successful high jump session, O’Connor earned 941 points, moving to 19th overall in the standings, after working her way up the heights to clear a season best of 1.77m, just shy of her personal best of 1.81m set in 2019

The St. Gerard’s AC member will enter the shot-put circle at 6:35 pm, and finish the first day of competition with the 200m at 7:55 pm. Her personal best shot throw from 2021, is 14.54m, and her best time over 200m is 24:73 seconds.

Looking ahead to the final day of competition on Friday, O’Connor will take part in the long jump, the 800m, and the javelin throw.

Schedule Thursday, 8th August: 6.35 pm: Women’s Heptathlon - Shot Put; 7.55 pm: Women’s Heptathlon - 200m.

Schedule: Friday, 9th August: 9.05 am: Women’s Heptathlon - Long jump; 10.20 am: Women’s Heptathlon - Javelin throw; 7.15 pm: Women’s Heptathlon - 800m.