Weekly Roundup - 2nd February 2025

Kate O’Connor (Michael O’Connor) set multiple PB’s and an individual NI record on the way to adding almost 300 points to her Northern Irish and Irish Pentathlon record when finishing second at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour in Tallinn, Estonia on Sunday. 

The five event score of 4683 bettered the previous world lead by 150 points and only the career best performance of 2024 World Indoor silver medallist Saga Vanninen kept the Kate off the top step of the podium. 

Kate began the day strongly, matching her 60m Hurdles PB set three weeks ago at the AAI Games with 8.37, before going on to erase her long standing High Jump best, set during her silver medal winning performance at the European U20 Championships in 2019, with a height of 1.82m. 

An indoor Shot Put PB of 14.42m followed before a final round effort in the Long Jump produced an excellent 6.16m which was another PB and broke Linzi Herron’s Northern Ireland record from 2013. The Dundalk St Gerard’s AC athlete finished the day with an indoor 800m PB of 2:13.60. 

This performance marks a step up to world class level, taking Kate inside the top 60 on the world all time lists with a score that was good enough to medal at three out of the last four World or European Indoor Championships. 

In addition to being an auto qualifying score for next month’s European Indoor Championships this performance significantly improves Kate’s ranking position for September’s World Championships in Tokyo. 

Following the event, Kate said ‘I am thrilled with my performance today, it is great to see the results after a lot of hard work this winter. I feel like I have put down a strong marker in the build up to the major indoor championships next month.’

European Clubs XC Championships

The European Clubs XC Championships were held on Sunday in Albufeira Portugal. Northern Ireland was well represented with two teams from Lagan Valley in the U20 races, and teams from Candour Track Club and North Belfast Harriers in the Senior Men’s race. With twenty- two countries and sixty-eight clubs competing from all over Europe the competition was of a very high standard.

Our local clubs acquitted themselves very well with Lagan Valley U20 women’s team achieving the highest finishing position of our Northern Irish clubs with 8^th place in their race. Katie Graham was first home for the team in 22^nd place.

The Lagan Valley men’s U20 team finished 15^th team and Oisin McGloin was first home in a very creditable 20^th place.

In the senior men’s race the standard was extremely high with top class Africans dominating the front of the race. North Belfast turned the tables from the National XC Championships on Candour Track Club by finishing 11^th team with Candour 17^th. Conall McClean ran a strong race to finish 27^th and first local man home with North Belfast’s Andrew Milligan finishing in 30^th position and first scorer for North Belfast.

Callum Morgan (Candour TC) had an encouraging start to his indoor season in Belgium where he was competing in the IFAM Meeting in Gent. He finished 8^th in the men’s 3000m in an indoor pb of 7.59.63.

Locally Annadale Striders held their annual cross-country fixture the Malcolm Cup at Ormeau Park on Sunday. The host club dominated the Senior men’s race by winning the team title and providing the individual winner in Stephen Connolly. North Belfast Harriers won the women’s team race with Willowfield’s Emily Morris taking the individual title.