Kate O’Connor has put herself in pole position for heptathlon gold, heading into the final event of the competition with a narrow but crucial lead.
The Irish star produced a stunning morning performance, recording a personal best of 6.55m in the long jump before delivering a huge first-round javelin throw of 50.16m — a mark worth 863 points and enough to move her to the top of the leaderboard.
O’Connor enters this evening’s decisive 800m with 5,812 points, holding a 51-point advantage over Dutch challenger Emma Oosterwegel (5,761), while Sofie Dokter sits just behind in third with 5,741 points.
With the gold medal now within reach, everything comes down to one final test.
The 800m begins at 7:45pm — and Kate O’Connor is ready to fight for European heptathlon history.
#IrishRunnerMagazine
#AthleticsIreland
#Birmingham2026
#irishrunner
Photo : Sportsfile/Sam Barnes
The Runner’s Connect
Join for free and get access to premium content, find out about special offers and more.