Kate O'Connor: 'I've had a taste for medals now and I don't want to let that go'
After a whirlwind few weeks in which she won European bronze and world silver medals, the multi-event athlete received an Instagram message saying she was spotted on TV.
Turns out it was in a BBC advertisement previewing the summer ahead alongside the good and the great of women's sport worldwide.
Her dad, also her coach, raced up to her granny's house to rewind the television, record the piece, and send it on.
There she was. Coco Gauff, Ilona Maher, Eilish McColgan, Kate O'Connor.
'It's incredible,' she tells The 42. 'It's one of those pinch-me moments.
'When you're winning European and world medals, although I was buzzing for myself, as a sportsperson, you don't really realise that there's a lot of other people that notice what's going on as well — and how big those things actually are.
'Being on an advert alongside huge sportspeople that I would have grown up watching and still do look up to, it's just insane that people are putting me beside them.'
It was another high point in a glittering, rollercoaster 2025 for O'Connor.
Her history-making exploits in Apeldoorn and Nanjing across a magical fortnight in March are still sinking in, as she thrives in the chaos of completing her Masters in Communications and Public Relations and day-to-day training.
'I suppose no one can really prepare you for what life is like afterwards,' the Dundalk 24-year-old says.
A three-week break followed the March madness, the plan to fulfil media and sponsorship duties and other opportunities and focus on athletics thereafter, but there's no sign of things slowing down. It's stressful but fun, and she's enjoying the moment.
With time and space, her European and World Indoors pentathlon successes still doesn't feel real. The stuff of dreams, an unforgettable few days.
O'Connor can now reflect on a 'really weird time' between the two, from Netherlands to China. Travel, time zones, and emotional and physical wellness all had to be managed.
'I'd come off this huge high of getting a European bronze medal, which I didn't really get to celebrate, because I had to get ready for worlds,' she explains. 'I had never done championships so close together before, so that was kind of playing on my mind. The fact that I was also European bronze medalist was also playing on my mind.
'I wasn't sick, but my immune system was a little bit run down and I just wasn't 100% sure how my body was going to cope or how I was going to perform at worlds. Although I wasn't saying out loud to everybody that I felt pressure, I definitely did. Even during the warm-up, I wasn't sure how I was feeling or what was going to happen.'
The rest is history. Silver added to bronze after another string of remarkable performances, as O'Connor won Ireland's first World Indoors medal in 19 years.
She could finally celebrate the country's first-ever multi-event medals at major senior competitions.
'That was another thing, I was like, 'Oh my goodness, what if I don't do well at worlds, and then I have to go and celebrate the European bronze medal, but it'll just be a little bit tainted.'
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'There was all this stuff going on my head, which was all irrational and silly, because whether I medalled or not at worlds, I would have celebrated the European bronze medal. But I think it just made it even more sweeter, the fact that I had the two medals and I was able to celebrate them both together.'
Kate O'Connor teamed up with McCabes Pharmacy to launch the McCabes Pharmacy Fit for Life programme. MAXWELLS DUBLIN MAXWELLS DUBLIN
This was a phenomenal medal breakthrough on the biggest stage after a stunning rise, and an injection of confidence and motivation for her and her team.
'I've had a taste for the medals now, and I don't really want to let that go. I want to work hard and hopefully put myself in a good position this summer.'
An all-rounder as a child, O'Connor joined her local athletics club, Dundalk St Gerards, aged seven or eight.
She gave everything a go, but her preferences lay with 800m, ball throw and long jump. While other kids focused on one, or married sprinting and jumping, O'Connor's events often clashed at championships as they were so different.
'Subconsciously, and in a weird way, I was throwing myself into a bit of a multi-event world where you're going from one place to the next, you haven't got much recovery and you've just got to adapt.
'My first moment of ever seeing someone in real life and thinking, 'Oh, this is what I want to do' was Jessica Ennis winning the (heptathlon) gold medal at 2012 Olympics. I was 11 at that stage, and I remember watching her and thinking, 'Woah, she's doing what I'm doing — all these random events and going from one place to the next.''
Around that same time, an opportunity arose to represent Ireland in a schools pentathlon in Scotland, and it all went from there.
'I loved it. I loved the chaos of the event. I loved going from one place to the next, and having lots to work on. I fell in love with the sport. My dad fell in love with the event, and we just kind of learned all the bits together as we've grown.'
O'Connor with her father and coach, Michael. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Michael, a former athlete himself, is O'Connor's primary coach, with Tom Reynolds also involved.
The father-daughter duo captured hearts and minds in a beautiful interview with RTÉ after Europeans, the emotion, pride and love shining through with each and every word.
The dynamic is a unique one, with plenty of ups and downs, but it works well.
'I think the best thing about having my dad as my coach is that I have someone that's 100% in my corner. Through the highs and lows, I know that he's 100% there for me, and he wants what's best for me. In any decision making, in any problems, I can go to him, and I know that we're going to come to something that he believes is the right decision and I'm obviously going to believe it's the right decision too.'
'A father-daughter relationship, especially in sports, obviously comes with highs and lows. Sometimes arguments can be brought back home,' she adds, though the midweek move to Belfast for college has hugely helped.
'We have a little bit more space, and I think our relationship is just so much better now, partly probably because I'm older. Our communication style is a lot better too.
'But in saying that, it's not a normal father-daughter relationship. My dad and my brother could head off to pub together, our craic is different where it's kind of difficult to turn off that coach-athlete relationship… although, he is my dad, obviously, and it is different at home, he is more of a dad, I can always sense that coach kind of vibe lurking around.
'But no, we get on very, very well. I love having him as a coach. We get to travel the world together. We get to do so many exciting things together. It's pretty cool.'
It's not the only personal relationship into which sport often seeps: O'Connor's boyfriend is footballer Georgie Kelly.
Formerly of Dundalk and Bohemians in the League of Ireland, the Donegal striker is currently on the books of Carlisle United, who have been relegated to the English National League.
'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does,' Kelly recently told The Irish Independent.
Georgie Kelly during his time with Bohemians in 2021. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
O'Connor picks up: 'In way that we probably don't realise, we probably help each other when it comes to sport.
'Georgie is very, very different to me. He's very chilled. He's a real thinker, whereas I'm maybe a little bit more rash. If something bad happens, I'm like, 'Ah, everything's gonna end!' He's a really good sounding board for me.
'I can just talk through things, and he can help me rationalise things. He understands whenever I have frustrations, he can also understand successes and the whirlwind that life can throw at you after either or. It's great to have him around, he's another huge support.'
The buzz and excitement around Irish athletics is undeniable at the moment, and O'Connor is delighted to be at the heart of it. With Rhasidat Adeleke, Mark English, Sarah Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley among the others flying the flag on the biggest stages week on week, the profile and interest levels are ever rising.
O'Connor is blazing a trail with multi-discipline representation, for which she is a huge advocate. Her passion is palpable as she speaks about combined events; how it aids the development of aspiring athletes, and how the story grips people as it unfolds on competition days.
'I love multi events. I love the training for it. I love the fact that there's something new every day,' she beams.
'I'm not 100% perfect at everything. I'm not scratching for those 1%s just yet, I'm still making a lot of changes and getting a lot of rewards.
'It's a beautiful event that I love deeply. Hopefully there'll be a little bit more of a pick-up with young people in Ireland. Watching someone win a couple of medals will hopefully inspire a few others to get involved.'
With World Championships in Tokyo in September the major focus now, O'Connor will hope to continue breaking new ground. She's currently ranked ninth so nailed on to qualify, and preparations will ramp up through the summer.
O'Connor celebrating after a huge shot putt at worlds. Nikola Krstic / INPHO Nikola Krstic / INPHO / INPHO
Finishing her dissertation is almost another event thrown in, she laughs, and an overseas training camp beckons before World University Games in Germany in July.
She'll compete more in August, while aiming to stay fit and healthy, enjoy athletics and all the madness that now comes with it: BBC ads, role model status, and the likes.
'It's definitely different, and something that I'm still probably getting used to. But it's lovely,' O'Connor concludes.
'You put in so much hard work on the track, and it's nice to get recognition outside of that, and for people to come up and say that I've inspired them, or I've inspired their daughter or their son or whoever it is.
'Athletics especially is such an individual sport, you're by yourself a lot and when you're competing, it's all for you. When you realise the knock-on effect that it can have on other people, that kind of just makes it even that little bit more worth it.
'It's something I probably won't really realise until I've retired or finished with sport, the effect that it will have — and hopefully the long lasting effect. Hopefully there'll be lots more that will happen over the next couple years.'
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Kate O'Connor teamed up with McCabes Pharmacy to launch the McCabes Pharmacy Fit for Life programme. To join the McCabes Pharmacy Fit for Life Programme or to find your nearest participating club, visit www.athleticsireland.ie, and for more information on McCabes Pharmacy, visit www.mccabespharmacy.com
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