Multi-sport athlete Kate O’Connor has experienced a transformative year in 2025, achieving unprecedented success in track and field. The 25-year-old from Newry, now based in Dundalk, Ireland, captured a silver medal in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships held in Tokyo in September. This achievement, among others, highlights her exceptional performances over the past year.
O’Connor’s impressive record includes a silver medal in the pentathlon at the World Indoor Championships in China and a bronze in the same event at the European Indoors. Additionally, she secured the title of World University Games champion. As a result of her stellar performances, O’Connor dramatically rose in the world rankings, now holding the second position. Along the way, she shattered the Irish national records in both the heptathlon and pentathlon, achieving numerous personal bests in each discipline.
Reflecting on a Breakthrough Year
In an interview with BBC Sport NI’s Thomas Kane, O’Connor expressed her amazement at the significant change in her life. “It’s been insane. It’s hard to put into words how different my life is now. It’s very busy, but it was one of the most enjoyable times ever,” she stated. The athlete shared that her initial goal for the year was to win one international medal, but as her success accumulated, she realized she could achieve much more.
“To win one medal was insane. To win two was crazy. And then to win two more after that, I just could never have imagined that would happen,” O’Connor remarked.
Previously, O’Connor was a silver medallist for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She finished 13th at the following year’s World Championships and 14th at the Olympics in Paris. Despite her achievements, she plans to take time during the festive season to reflect on her remarkable progress before setting her sights on the challenges of 2026.
Aiming for Future Success
O’Connor emphasizes the importance of appreciating her accomplishments this year while looking ahead. “It’s been so enjoyable and at times I’m just looking forward to getting back into my routine and get back training for next year,” she explained. The athlete recognizes the significance of her achievements and aims to build on them in the future.
With five personal bests recorded across the seven events at the World Championships, O’Connor established a new Irish national record of 6,714 points. Earlier in the year, she set the Irish indoor pentathlon record with 4,683 points at the Tallinn Combined Events meeting in Estonia. She also excelled in the 800m, securing her third place at the European Indoors while achieving four additional personal bests.
O’Connor’s aspirations extend beyond 2026, as she aims to compete in athletics professionally for the next two Olympic cycles, with a gold medal as her primary goal. “My ultimate goal is to get to the Olympics and to be on the podium and try to win a gold medal,” she stated. “I think if you’re not imagining yourself doing that you’re never going to get it. I’m going to work really hard until I get there.” She believes there is still much more potential to unlock in her athletic career.
While she takes pride in her achievements in 2025, O’Connor’s focus is already shifting to the upcoming year, which includes the World Indoors in March, followed by the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in the summer. “I want to reflect and appreciate what I did, but then park it and move on to next year, because I always want more and to be striving forward,” she explained.
Alongside her athletic endeavors, O’Connor graduated with a master’s degree in PR and Communications from the University of Ulster this year. Balancing her studies with training required significant organization and communication with her lecturers. “Something I learnt in 2024 was that it was really important for me to be Kate the athlete, but also Kate the person,” she reflected. “Sport is obviously such a huge part of my life, but I’m also very aware that sport will end at some stage, and I want to make sure I have as many doors open as possible for when that does happen.”
As O’Connor prepares for the next chapter in her athletics career, she remains committed to pushing her limits and achieving her dreams.
