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Published 16:15 29 Jul 2026 BST
Updated 15:39 29 Jul 2026 BST

Kate O’Connor is closing in on heptathlon gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with just one event standing between the Dundalk AC athlete and the title.
O’Connor, who has led since the opening day, stretched her advantage to 258 points after a dominant morning session at Scotstoun Stadium, leaving her in pole position with only the 800m to come at 8.55pm.
O’Connor had started the day as overnight leader following the opening four events on Tuesday, holding a 59-point advantage. After recovering from a tougher shot put, she reasserted her dominance across Wednesday’s long jump and javelin to blow the competition open, with third-placed Tori West and O’Dowda now left chasing an increasingly distant target.
With a personal best comfortably under 2:10 over two laps, O’Connor will start the closing 800m as a strong favourite to convert her lead into a memorable gold.
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The 25-year-old from Newry, who represents Northern Ireland, set a new outdoor personal best of 6.37m in the long jump before throwing a season’s best 52.85m in the javelin — arguably her strongest discipline. As The Journal reported, both efforts topped the field and pushed her clear of nearest rival Jade O’Dowda. Follow the drama across our Irish sport coverage.
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