By Lee Maginnis
NORTHERN Ireland heptathlon record holder and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Kate O’Connor finished in second place at the weekend combined events competition in Brescia, Italy.
Kate, from Newry, finished with 6104 points to the 6330 of the winner, Taliyah Brooks of the USA.
Both these scores are some way off the 6480 that has been set as the Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. Indeed, only five women have attained the standard in the last couple of years, suggesting the majority of heptathletes will be scrambling to make Paris via the quota pathway based on world ranking.
Kate began her weekend campaign with 14.24 in the 100m hurdles followed by a 1m74 high jump. She got 13m84 in the shot and rounded off her first day with 25.11 in the 200m. She managed 6m03 in the long jump which was her first time over 6m in some time. She threw the javelin 49m28 and in the dreaded 800m she ran 2:15.14.
