The heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships involves seven events: 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800 metres. The first four events take place on day one; the other three on day two. The winner takes gold and the title of best all-round athlete in the world.
Event 1: 100m hurdles
Kate O’Connor starts impressively with a personal best to take third place in the first heat of the 100m hurdles. The 24-year-old clocked 13.44 seconds, improving her previous best of 13.57.
Event 2: High jump
O’Connor again sets a personal best, clearing 1.86m, two centimetres higher than she ever jumped before. She finishes the event in joint-third in the overall standings.
Event 3: Shot put
Another solid performance as the Dundalk woman throw 14 metres 37 centimetres. Finishing fifth in the discipline, O’Connor lies third overall after the event.
RM Block
Event 4: 200 metres
In what is regarded as her weakest event, O’Connor records another personal best with a time of 24.07 seconds. It leaves her 2nd overall after day one.
Event 5: Long jump
O’Connor remains in contention for a medal at the World Championships following the long jump event on day two of the heptathlon. The Dundalk athlete sits in fourth place overall, with two of her strongest events still to come. Not one of her strongest events, she produced a best in the long jump of 6.22m. “I’m pretty happy with that. Solid is the word I would use, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too bad. I’m looking forward to this evening.”
Event 6: Javelin
Yet another personal best and a national record for O’Connor as she makes 53.06m with her first throw. The Irishwoman, who declines her third and final throw, wins the javelin event and gets back into silver medal position with just one event, the 800 metres, to go.
Event 7: 800 metres
Rumours of a knee injury sustained in the long jump broke before the final event, but O’Connor defended her second position to secure the silver medal with a time of 2.09.50 − yet another personal best. O’Connor scored 6,714 across the seven events, a new Irish record.
Anna Hall (6,888 points) of the United States won the gold, American Taliyah Brooks and Katarina Johnson-Thompson of the UK both finishing on 6,581 points to share bronze.
