Kate O'Connor won't get too much time off for Christmas, the demands of her chosen sport requiring absolute dedication no matter the time of year.
However Ireland's groundbreaking multi-sport athlete has no complaints as she looks to keep building towards the LA Games in 2028. After a marvellous 2025, the Dundalk 25-year-old is not afraid to declare that her biggest ambition is to get on the podium at an Olympics.
And she's certainly earned the right to dream big.
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O'Connor was named the Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year on Friday having won medals in all four championships she entered, including a superb silver in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport, she reflected on the national impact of her feats.
"I'm walking down the street now and people are coming over to me and telling me how their kids have started into multi events or how you just inspired their kids to continue with sport," said O'Connor.
"Whenever you're so far away I suppose you don't realise in the moment the effect that you have on people but it's lovely whenever you come back and things like that happen and you come to events like these and you see how much it means to everyone."
"I knew in February when I did my first opener competition that I was in good shape. I went off and I won a European bronze medal indoors and that was insane. I worked really hard to win that medal. Then we went off to world indoors and then I picked up a silver medal and I was like, 'oh I've done pretty well indoors'.
"I didn't consider myself an indoor athlete until then and then we went into outdoors and I won a World University gold and then obviously went on and won the World silver. I suppose I just kind of got on a roll and I got a taste for the medals."
Now she has a taste for them, O'Connor wants more. The incredible success she's enjoyed, alongside dad and coach Michael, has made her greedy for glory.
"I realised that I was good enough to be a medal winner and I just didn't let that go for the year and I don't intend on letting it go for for many more years," O'Connor added.
"I think what's even more special about winning those medals is, they weren't easy medals. Every single competition was really, really tough and (it wasn't just me) scoring national records, so were the women around me.
"Some of the scorers would have won medals in major championships like the Olympics in previous years too.
"It's really positive... nothing that I won this year was just handed to me. It makes me really excited for the future and obviously working towards LA in 2028 - I'm very hopeful that I could do something special there.
"We obviously took a couple of weeks off but then we started planning for the future and we want to progress and we want to be on the podium at the Olympics, preferably in the top spot. That's what we're going to work really hard towards for the next three years.
"We've made some changes and we'll continue to do so and hopefully continue to see that progression. It probably won't be as much progression as we had this year but we just keep chipping away. I won't be too far away from it."
In November, Michael O'Connor received the 2025 Coaching Achievement Award from World Athletics for his crucial role in daughter's Kate's victories.
"I'm so proud of him and I'm so happy for him that he got to experience that."
It was another sweet moment for family that's experienced so much over the last 12 months.
"I suppose before this year I probably didn't realise how much it meant to him and how much emotion he also invests into the event and into the sport and I've definitely gained a huge appreciation for the amount of time and effort that he puts into," O'Connor reflected.
"Obviously I know that I work around that track really really hard every single day and I put in a tonne of effort and it is my life, but it consumes a tonne of his life too. I've also got to be really thankful to my mom (Valerie) for letting him do it as well because he's away from home a lot and it really is a full family affair for us as well as my wider coaching circle.
"He was absolutely buzzing with that award and as he should be. I've got so much recognition for what I've done this year and it was just lovely for him to get some recognition too from World Athletics, that is just absolutely incredible. I'm so proud of him and I'm so happy for him that he got to experience that."
Watch the RTÉ Sport Awards on Saturday from 8.05pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport
