BY LEE MAGINNIS
IN her final training session before leaving for Paris, Commonwealth Games silver medallist and Irish record holder Kate O’Connor returned to the Newry track where it all began. The heptathlete has been training there from away back when she won juvenile multi-event medals.
Born just up the road at Daisy Hill, Kate yet again showed the work ethic required to become a champion, finishing the running session lying on the track as her body struggled to replace the oxygen deficit.
As always, her dad and coach Michael was on hand with stop-watch and whistle. Younger sister Meabh was also there supporting and recording times.
This will be Kate’s first Olympics Games and she is really excited at the prospect.
The magnitude of what lies ahead is not lost on her either.
The 23-year-old reflected: “When I think about it, less than 1% of people get to compete in an Olympic Games so I am just trying to enjoy every single second of it because a lot of hard work has gone into it – I am really looking forward to it.
“I have been working towards this ever since I was seven or eight years old. It has always been the dream and now I get to actually live it. I think that I have definitely made little me proud.”
Kate also acknowledged the role of her support team, which includes dad Michael, along with coaches Tom Reynolds and Peter Samly.
“Some people who aren’t into sport think that I just turn up to training and do it all by myself but that’s definitely not the case,” Kate is quick to point out.
“I have three track coaches that help me through the seven events. I have a physiotherapist, an Strength & Conditioning coach, a nutritionist and a sports psychologist. There are a lot of people behind the scenes that don’t get a lot of credit. It takes an army to get somewhere like this.
“Multi-events like mine are one of the events that take the most amount of time to train because you are not just doing one event you are actually trying to do seven.
“My training days go on from 9am until 5pm. It is a full-time job really. It takes a lot of commitment not just from me but also from my coaches.”
Turning to those events, Kate, who is studying for a Masters degree in Communications and PR at Ulster University, revealed her most and least favourites.
“My favourite would have to be hurdles at the moment I am really enjoying them,” she said.
“Javelin is another of my favourite events. It’s the event that I think most people on the international stage look forward to watching me do because I am one of the best at it in the multi-event world.
“It is always where I claw back a few points on my competitors that are above me. I love those two events, competing-wise.
“My least favourite would have been the 800 metres but maybe because I’m going to the Olympics, I am trying to just enjoy the whole experience of everything.
“I have actually been looking forward to every single session that I have been doing in every event because I know that I am getting closer and closer to my goal of being at the biggest competition that any athlete can go to.
“Maybe after the 800 metres I’d give you a different answer because it is the one I am most tired of doing, but I am loving everything at the moment.”
We wish Kate well. Catch her in action on BBC and RTE on August 8 and 9.
Tough training takes a toll
Dad Michael (above) and sister Meabh (below) look on
