Kate O’Connor Secures Second Place at Ratingen, Eyes Paris Olympics

Newry heptathlete Kate O’Connor produced an impressive performance to take second place at the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkamp-Meeting in Germany on June 22-23, 2024.

O’Connor accumulated a season’s best score of 6244 points, finishing just behind the event winner. This performance marks her second-best ever, coming close to her national record of 6297 points. The competition featured a strong field of athletes, making O’Connor’s achievement even more impressive. Despite nursing a hamstring injury, she delivered consistent performances across all events. O’Connor delivered a season’s best in every event except the long jump and equaled her season's best in the 100m hurdles.

O’Connor’s impressive performance in Ratingen significantly boosts her Olympic qualification hopes. With only 6 days left until the cutoff date of June 30, only 9 athletes have reached the Olympic standard of 6480 points. This means that the remaining 15 Paris Olympic slots are being determined by ranking, at least for the moment. O’Connor’s strong showing will likely elevate her in the rankings, potentially placing her within the top 24, which would secure her a spot at the Paris Olympics if maintained by the cutoff date.

Heptathlete Event Results

Day 1 Events:

• 100m Hurdles: 13.94 (4th in heat / 10th overall)
• High Jump: 1.74m  SB (5th in group / 5th overall)
• Shot Put: 14.16m SB (4th in group / 4th overall)
• 200m: 24.93 SB (4th in heat / 11th overall)

At the end of Day 1, O’Connor was in 7th place with 3,601 points, trailing the leader by 135 points.

Day 2 Events:

• Long Jump: 5.98m (2nd in group / 5th overall)
• Javelin Throw: 52.12m SB (1st in group / 2nd overall)
• 800m: 2:14.57 SB (1st in group / 1st overall)

Her outstanding performance in the javelin throw and 800m on Day 2 propelled her to 2nd place overall.

Overall Result: 6244 points, 2nd place

Image: Perri Williams