Irish heptathlete Kate O'Connor believes "something special" could happen at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as she tries to add to what has already been an incredible 2025.
The Dundalk, St Gerard's athlete took home silver in the pentathlon at the World Indoor Championships back in March having taken bronze at the Europeans less than two weeks earlier. O’Connor followed those successes up with gold at the World University Games in Germany in July.
"At the start of the year, World University (Games) was my goal for the year, to go there, try to medal, maybe try to win gold," said O’Connor, who finished 13th at the last World Championships in Budapest two years ago.
"Then obviously what happened at (World) Indoor happened and World University ended up being an event that I was turning up to open up my (outdoor) season and just get things rolling; I managed to win it by almost 400 points.
"It was such an enjoyable event but it was just strange because at the start of the season the plan was to go there and try to win and now probably the focus is to get to (the) World Champs and to finish as high as I possibly can.
"I think I have a great chance of finishing top-ish, I’m not going to even put a number out there, but I’d really like to go out there and put something together like I did at Indoors and I think something special could happen."
The 24-year-old has been thrust into the Irish sporting spotlight on the back of those successes and will be one the most followed names of the 28-strong travelling party for the championships, which will be screened live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from Friday.
O’Connor admits that the extra focus has led to readjustments, but she feels in a positive mood ahead of her first event – the 100m hurdles – on Day 7.
"Since winning that medal at European Indoors, life has changed completely.
"Every week there is something on, whether it’s an interview or whether I have to go to something, which is lovely, but it took some time to adjust and get used to actually realising you have other commitments now outside of just training.
"I’m trying to take it in my stride and just enjoy it as much as I can. I’m sure in later years I’ll look back and think 'woah, my life was so exciting back then’. It’s lovely to get the recognition from it all."
Whatever happens over the seven events inside the Japan National Stadium next Friday and Saturday, O’Connor will finish the year with a memorable medal of every colour.
For the athlete, it’s not just the variation, but also what they represent to her personally.
"Athletes work their whole careers to get one of these and I have got three," said the Paris Olympian of her medal haul.
"What’s nice about them is that they’ve all got their own individual meaning.
"The bronze medal at the European Indoors, I have never worked so hard to try and get a medal. Before the 800m, the headspace I was in, I have never been in a place like that before. I learned a lot about myself at that competition, that I have a lot of resilience and I’ll fight until the end to try and win something I have worked hard for.
"The World silver medal, it’s Ireland’s first World medal in a long, long time. After that medal I was put in the same bracket with Sonia O’Sullivan and Derval O'Rourke; I had never even considered being put in the same breath as them.
"Heptathlon is my favourite out of pentathlon and hep’, so it was really nice that I was able to translate what I was doing at the indoor season into the outdoor season and win a gold (World University Games) to finish the set."
Watch the World Athletics Championships with RTÉ Sport, beginning at 11.55pm on Friday on RTÉ Player, with television coverage on RTÉ2 every day starting on Saturday from 9.45am
