Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Kate O’Connor: Ireland athlete 19th in Heptathlon after opening day

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Team Ireland’s Kate O’Connor is 19th overall after the opening four events of the Heptathlon at the Paris Olympics.

The 23-year-old was 19th after the 100 metre hurdles and high jump in the morning session.

In the evening session, O’Connor was eighth in Group B and 14th overall in the shot put, and finished the opening day by finishing fourth in her heat in the 200 metres, and 19th overall.

O’Connor, a silver medallist for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, is making her debut at the Olympics and is the last athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in Paris.

“I think I was just a little bit like a rabbit caught in headlights [in the hurdles],” O’Connor told BBC Sport NI.

“I’m really proud of myself of how I managed to pick it up in the high jump.

“I left everything out there so I don’t think I could have asked for much more of myself.”

She got off to a difficult start as she posted the slowest time in the 100 metre hurdles in 14.08 seconds.

However, she responded in style in the high jump and ranked first in Group A as she set a season’s best height of 1.77 metres.

Her opening event of the evening session saw her record a score of 13.79 metres, which saw her place 14th overall and eighth in her group.

After struggling in the morning sprint, O’Connor put in a solid performance in the 200 metres as she finished with a season’s best time of 24.77 seconds.

That time left her 19th overall in both the 200m and overall standings as the the other two heats all ran faster times.

Her first Olympic campaign will come to a close on Friday in the long jump, javelin and 800m.

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