Olympic debut has 'lit a fire' for O'Connor

Ireland's Kate O'Connor said she was "delighted" pinch her Olympic debut successful nan heptathlon and it has "lit a fire" successful her to progress.

O'Connor finished her first Olympics successful 14th place successful Paris and was conscionable extracurricular her ain Irish record.

The 23-year-old, who was a Commonwealth Games metallic medallist for Northern Ireland successful 2022, started slow successful nan 100 metre hurdles but a beardown tally of events saw her move up nan standings.

O'Connor admitted location are "always going to beryllium highs and lows" and she was proud of her resilience.

"I deliberation I've proved to everyone retired location that I tin support coming backmost and support coming back.

"I've had a really agelong twelvemonth pinch a batch of injuries, and I'm fresh for a break, but it has lit a occurrence successful maine to really activity difficult now for adjacent twelvemonth and travel backmost for nan World Championships."

O'Connor added she was "sick of finishing successful 13th and 14th" and nan adjacent measurement for her was to footwear connected from her debut astatine nan Olympics.

"To beryllium 14th successful my first Olympics - I came successful classed 24th truthful I really can't complain."

"I want to break into that apical 12 aliases apical 10, and past support progressing moreover higher than that.

"It's lit a occurrence successful my belly to activity harder and push up those ranks."

After nan conclusion of nan 800 metres, nan seventh and last arena of nan heptathlon, O'Connor and her chap competitors were capable to savour their clip successful nan Stade de France and return successful a thigh of nan stadium.

O'Connor said it was "amazing" to spot nan Irish support, friends and family successful nan crowd.

"That's 1 of nan beautiful things astir multi-eventing. You person that clip to spell astir and admit each nan fans coming and supporting.

"It brings each nan girls who competed location a small spot person together and we get bully pictures and things."

She added that she was capable to "soak successful nan afloat acquisition and thigh it each up" passim her 7 events.

At nan extremity of he competitors' thigh astir nan Stade de France, O'Connor had a connection pinch Team GB's Johnson-Thompson, who was narrowly pipped to golden by Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam.

O'Connor said it was "surreal" competing against athletes for illustration Johnson-Thompson, who she grew up watching connected TV earlier embarking connected her athletics journey.

Johnson-Thompson won golden up of O'Connor astatine nan Commonwealths successful Birmingham.

Despite competing against her connected nan large stage, O'Connor admits she still feels "a small spot starstruck".

"She is personification I aspire to beryllium like," O'Connor added.

"Competing against group you watched connected TV erstwhile you were a kid is beautiful surreal, but I want to support pushing up nan ranks to beryllium for illustration that.

"Whenever I'm pinch her she comes up and she speaks to maine I'm still a spot like, 'oh my goodness'.

"She is specified a beautiful person, she really is. She looks retired for me, and for Jade [O'Dowda, Johnson-Thompson's GB team-mate].

"She is conscionable a really bully domiciled model."