Kate O'Connor 19th after Paris Olympics debut in heptathlon with four events remaining
Kate O’Connor is in 19th position overall after the Team Ireland athlete made her Olympic Games debut in the heptathlon on Thursday in Paris.
The Newry woman is the last athlete from Northern Ireland to take part in the Games and competed in the 100m hurdles and high jump in the morning session, ending 19th.
In the evening, O’Connor was eighth in Group B and 14th overall in the shot put, and finished fourth in her heat in the 200m to remain in 19th place after the opening four heptathlon events.
The 23-year-old threw a best of 13.79m in the shot put, down on her season’s best which is in excess of 14m.
However, O’Connor recorded her best time of the season in the 200m of 24.77, which was a mere 0.04s off her personal best.
“It started off a little bit rough,” she said. “The hurdles weren’t really what I was planning on doing but I’m really proud of how I picked myself up and then do a season’s best in the high jump.
"My high jump has been a bit all over the place this year because of injury but I feel like I got rolling after that.
“The shot could have been a bit better but it was pretty solid, it wasn’t terrible. I don’t think I lost too much there.
"I’m really proud of that 200m. It was only five or six weeks ago that I tore my hamstring. To run 0.04 off my personal best from lane two, I can’t complain with that.”
O’ Connor, who is coached by her father Michael, has arguably her best event to come on Friday in the javelin.
Reflecting on her maiden Olympics experience so far, she added: “I came here and my goal was to not have any regrets from all the events and I walked away from that hurdles and was like, damn it, I didn’t take in the crowd and stuff.
"But from the high jump on I made sure to enjoy the experience and just be me, just enjoy it and lap up the whole experience because it’s another four years before it’ll come around again.”
Friday’s events also include the long jump and 800m as the heptathlon comes to a close.
Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads the way after the first day of competition at the Stade de France.
She enters day two with a combined 4055 points, 48 more than Belgian Nafissatou Thiam.