OConnor Breaks NI Senior & Irish U20 Javelin Records

29 April 2019

OConnor Breaks NI Senior & Irish U20 Javelin Records

Competing in her first heptathlon since her top 8 at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Kate O’Connor, (Dundalk AC / Laura Kerr, Adam McMullen, Michael O’Connor & Tom Reynolds) took an impressive 2nd place at the prestigious Multi-stars IAAF Challenge meeting yesterday in Lana, Italy.

In the process, Kate broke two records on Sunday, winning the 6th event of the Heptathlon with a Javelin Throw of 49.31m. This broke the 16 year old NI Senior record of her coach Laura Kerr and this also furthered Kate’s own Irish U20 Javelin record. Kate’s overall score of 5881 broke Elizabeth Moreland’s Irish Senior Heptathlon Record, which was 5815 from 2018, and moves her almost 50 places up in the 2018/2019 world senior rankings to 47th=.

The former Athletics NI Rising Stars and Youth Academy athlete had three individual PBs during the Heptathlon, taking 0.34 from her 100m Hurdles PB with 14.48 (-0.6), adding 58cm to her outdoor Shot Put with 13.48m and the Javelin of 49.31m. These were backed up by consistent performances in the other 4 events of High Jump (1.72m), 200m (25.20 -0.3), Long Jump (5.86m 1.1) and 800m 2:21.15. The total score added 122 to Kate’s PB and NI Senior record from 2017 and also qualified Kate for the European U20 Championships taking place in Boras, Sweden in July.

Kate said at the event: “I did not expect this performance. This weekend was cold, but I’m used to this weather in my country. It would be amazing to win a medal at the European U20 Championships, which is my goal for the year.”