A calm and confident high jump performance under some early pressure has moved Kate O’Connor into the gold medal position after the second of her seven heptathlon events at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
On a damp and windy morning inside the Scotstoun Stadium, renowned as one of the most exposed athletics arenas, O’Connor cleared a best height of 1.82 metres, bringing her points tally to 2,047 points, just four clear of early leader Jade O’Dowda from England.
Representing Northern Ireland, and in her first competition in four months, O’Connor passed on the opening height of 1.64m, coming in at 1.67m, clearing that at her first attempt. She followed that with first attempt clearances at her next four heights, before missing her first two attempts at 1.82m.
Under some early pressure then, O’Connor cleared that height at her third attempt, letting out a roar of delight immediately afterwards, aware that height would have moved her into pole position.
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Wrapped up in a winter jacket between jumps, O’Connor fell just short in all three attempts at 1.85m, but her 1.82m earned her 1,003 points, enough to push her four points clear of O’Dowda from England, who had a best height of 1.79m.
Maddie Wilson from New Zealand was the only other athlete to clear 1.82m, and she now sits third overall on 1,942 points.
Conditions were far from ideal for sprint hurdling or jumping, and earlier, O’Connor lined up in the 100m hurdles. She clocked a time of 13.54 seconds in third place (+0.8 m/s wind), just .10 off her personal best time set in Tokyo last September during her silver medal-winning display at the 2025 World Championships.
Sienna MacDonald from Canada, a sprint hurdles specialist, took the win in 12.99 seconds, a world-class time. O’Dowda took second in 13.32.
In the first heat, Anna McCauley also of Northern Ireland took the win in a personal best of 13.70 seconds, earning her 1,021 points. Her high jump best of 1.73 leaves her sixth overall after two events
O’Connor hadn’t competed anywhere since winning her fifth consecutive championship medal within 13 months, bringing home a pentathlon bronze from the World Indoors in Poland in March. The Dundalk star has now set herself the target of winning two more medals within just over a fortnight, with the European Championships taking place in Birmingham next month.
She is the favourite to win gold come tomorrow evening, following the withdrawal last week of England’s two-time defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Her medal quest continues this evening with the shot put (7pm) and then the 200m (8.04pm), before she takes on the long jump, javelin and finally the 800m on Wednesday.
