Latest news with #WorldUniversityGames
Sunday World
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Sunday World
Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor shares photo with footballer boyfriend
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured together in the snap Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with boyfriend, Irish striker Georgie Kelly, as the couple enjoy some downtime on holidays in Portugal. The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'. Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background. She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories. Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Kate and Georgie on holidays News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time. 'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.' It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors. She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level. She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.' For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle. In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'. 'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time. 'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack. 'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.' He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle. But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made. 'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says. 'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.' However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy. 'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August. 'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work. 'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
World University Games silver part of my prep for Worlds, says TN triple jumper Praveen Chithravel
CHENNAI: Triple jumper is in the middle of a wonderful season. The Tamil Nadu athlete equalled his own national record at the Federation Cup and then went on to bag silver at the Asian Athletics Championships. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He did not stop there as he clinched silver in the recently-concluded World University Games. While the 24-year-old Praveen played with caution at the University Worlds in Germany, it was enough to take him to the second spot. 'I wanted to compete in tournaments consistently in the build-up to the World Championships. I did not prepare separately for the University Games and did not strain myself. I knew that I would win a medal,' Praveen told TOI. What made the moment even more special for Praveen was that he secured the medal on his sister's birthday, a detail he mentioned on his bib. He dedicated the second-placed finish to his new-born nephew and said that he could not have given him a better gift. Prior to the University Worlds, Praveen had a brief training stint in Spain with Olympic medallists like Yulimar Rojas and Juan Miguel Echevarria. The spell in Spain helped him understand certain aspects which he could apply to his game. 'I could not stay relaxed when I was training with them as I always wanted to stay competitive. One important thing is that they come to train with a peaceful mind and do not take pressure while we are not like that. We sometimes put more pressure on ourselves and that goes against us. This is something I learnt personally,' Praveen added. In Spain, Praveen tried his hand at long jump and succeeded, recording his personal-best mark of 7.86m, one of the best jumps by an Indian this season. 'Many asked why I am competing in long jump when I am doing very well in triple jump. I do long jump as it helps me progress in triple jump. Personally, I love long jump, and I have the capacity to cross 8m and achieve a good jump. When I do triple jump, I am very cautious but when it comes to long jump, I do it without much stress. 'Unfortunately, I am not able to compete in three to four competitions in a year in long jump due to the hectic schedule. I am confident that I will spring a surprise in long jump in the future,' Praveen said.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Vaishnavi Adkar from Pune wins bronze in tennis at World University Games
In a historic breakthrough for Indian tennis, 20-year-old Vaishnavi Nihar Adkar from Pune clinched a bronze medal at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, becoming the first Indian woman ever to achieve the feat and ending India's 46-year-long medal drought in the sport at the Games. The last medal was won by Nandan Bal in Mexico in 1979. Speaking at a media interaction, Adkar recalled the intensity of the competition, 'I was not expecting it to be that tough, most of them were from US colleges, and even though their rankings weren't very high, the level of play was extremely high.' Adkar, who lost in the semi-final to Eszter Meri of Slovakia, noted that her bronze medal match was her last shot, 'Even though it was a bronze medal match, I didn't feel very anxious or anything. I just went into the match thinking about giving my best and making the most out of the opportunity I had', she told The Indian Express. Despite missing out on a higher finish, Adkar remains grounded and grateful. 'The goal was definitely to win gold, but I'm glad that I could at least win a medal. I'm just trying to process it all,' said an elated Vaishnavi, making her family and coaches proud. Her father Nihar Adkar, who was present at the conference, grew emotional while recounting the medal moment. 'When the live telecast was going on, I couldn't get up from my chair,' he said. 'It was such a proud moment for me that my daughter could achieve something like this. I couldn't believe when one of the commentators said during the broadcast she is the first Indian woman to win the World University Championship in tennis.' Reflecting on her semi-final loss, Adkar explained, 'I started really well in the first set. I was playing very aggressively and got a lot of points. But in the second set, the conditions became slower, the balls had become heavy. The rallies got longer, and it came down to just a couple of points which I couldn't convert.' Veteran tennis player and former medalist Nandan Bal, also present at the press meet, praised Adkar's feat and the significance of her win. 'This is an event that comes with extreme competitiveness. I would name such a tournament as the mini Olympics,' said Bal, who added that Adkar's win is finally giving the tournament the attention it deserves. 'Her historic achievement is not just a personal milestone, but a moment of pride for Indian tennis, especially for a young women athlete who believes in giving her best, regardless of the odds, and all I see is a good future ahead', the veteran noted. Vaishnavi has already set her sights on bigger goals. 'My goal is to come into the top 300 in the next four to five months. And I'm aiming for the Indian team at the Billie Jean King Cup in November,' she told The Indian Express. She also added that she is next headed to Serbia to play a series of ITF (international tennis federation) tournaments in Europe.
IOL News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Coetze's gamble pays off with stunning world title in Singapore
Pieter Coetzé celebrates winning gold in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: Supplied Image: SSA South Africa's young swim sensation Pieter Coetzé's impressive recent spell in the pool continued with a gold medal in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Tuesday. The new world champion stormed to the win, dipping below 52 seconds for the second time in the past two weeks. It was a victory that the Tuks psychology student felt was coming at some stage, though he admitted he didn't expect it to happen so soon. The South African kicked with about 10m to go to take the title in 51.85 seconds, lowering his own South African and African record for the third time in quick succession. He narrowly missed out on the world record of 51.60. July 19th: World University Games 100m Backstroke Gold ✅ July 29th: World Aquatics Championships 100m Backstroke Gold ✅ July 29th In the span of ten days, Pieter Coetze wins both events and gets his first ever World Title! 🥇#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming — World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 29, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Olympic champion and world record holder Thomas Ceccon of Italy took silver in 51.90, while Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France claimed bronze in 51.95. The 21-year-old Coetzé had posted the world lead in the 100m backstroke earlier this year, when he swam an African and World Student Games record time of 51.99 seconds in Germany—becoming only the eighth swimmer in history to go under 52 seconds in the event. There was a risk that those exertions would have taken too much out of the rising star to remain competitive at the Singapore showpiece. Thankfully for Coetzé, it gave him the sharpness he needed to pull off the win in a closely contested final few metres. 'I always thought it would happen eventually. In my mind, it was just a matter of time. To do it this year is amazing and I can't say it was expected, especially because it was a gamble going to the World University Games right before this. But it's working pretty well,' Coetzé said, in his post-race television interview. Speaking again a little later, he added: 'It was awesome. The competition was very deep here, so there were eight guys who could have won it. 'The (World) University Games prepped me really well. The guys went fast there as well. But I'm over the moon. It was anyone's game. I knew that going into it, and to get away with the win is awesome.' He said of the time he swam: 'Every time I break (the African record`0, I'm really happy with it. "I can't explain, but it was more about the win tonight than the time, so if I won with a second slower time, it would still be as good. I think in a final you don't really think about the time at all.' "𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑻𝑯 𝑨𝑭𝑹𝑰𝑪𝑨 𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑰𝑴 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑨𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷𝑺!" 🔥 🇿🇦 Pieter Coetze wins gold in the Men's 100m Backstroke 🥇#AQUASingapore25 | #SSSwimming — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 29, 2025 Coetzé had qualified third-fastest for the final, behind Hungary's Hubert Kós (52.21) and Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov (51.26). With the leading swimmers deadlocked with 25m to go, Coetzé produced a devastating burst of pace to surge to the wall and claim victory. The top three all finished under 52 seconds. He will return to the pool on Thursday for the heats and semi-final of the 200m backstroke — an event in which he won bronze at last year's World Championships. On Saturday, he is also set to compete in the 50m backstroke heats and semi-final. Meanwhile, South Africa's Chris Smith secured his place in the 50m men's breaststroke final in Singapore with a second-place finish in Tuesday's semi-final in an impressive time of 26.77, behind Koen de Groot of the Netherlands. The final is scheduled for Wednesday. Wednesday's programme will also see Olivia Nel, fresh from her four medals at the World University Games, lining up in the heats of the 50m backstroke. Matt Sates will take on the 200m individual medley and the South Africans will also be in action in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Sunday World
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Sunday World
Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor poses for selfie with loved up footballer Georgie
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured together in the snap Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with loved-up boyfriend Irish striker Georgie Kelly together on holidays in Portugal. The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'. Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background. She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories. Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Kate and Georgie on holidays News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time. 'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.' It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors. She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level. She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.' For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle. In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'. 'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time. 'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack. 'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.' He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle. But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made. 'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says. 'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.' However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy. 'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August. 'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work. 'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
