- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 476,234
- Reaction score
- 45
You must be registered for see images attach
Kate O'Connor competes next in the long jump which gets under way at 10:42 GMT in Nanjing [Getty Images]
Ireland's Kate O'Connor is in the silver medal position in the pentathlon at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing with two events remaining.
O'Connor, who earned the bronze medal at the European Indoors earlier this month, produced a personal best of 8.30 seconds in the opening 60m hurdles and a strong performance in the high jump was followed by another lifetime best of 14.64 metres in the shot put.
The Newry-born Ireland athlete is on 2,889 points going into the long jump which starts at 10:42 GMT.
That puts her 78 points behind Finland's European Indoors winner Saga Vanninen who looks on course for another gold medal.
O'Connor is seven points ahead of third-placed US athlete Taliyah Brooks with another American Timara Chapman 80 points behind the Irish woman in fourth spot.
With fifth-placed German Vanessa Grimm 129 points adrift of the Dundalk athlete, the medals look likely to be fought out by the leading four with O'Connor aiming to clinch Ireland's first World Indoors medal since Derval O'Rourke's 60m hurdles triumph in 2006.
O'Connor and Chapman led the high jump standings with marks of 1.81m which was 0.03m down on the Irish woman's personal best set at the European Indoors.
The concluding 800m, which O'Connor won at the European Indoors, takes place at 13:08 GMT.
Healy another Irish medal hopeful
O'Connor won the Commonwealth Games heptathlon silver medal for Northern Ireland in 2022 before producing her major international breakthrough earlier this month in Apeldoorn.
The Northern Ireland athlete's 60m hurdles and shot put performances were improvements of 0.01 seconds and 10 centimetres on her previous lifetime bests.
Andrew Coscoran and Sophie O'Sullivan compete in 1500m heats on Friday's opening day of action in China.
Coscoran has also entered the 3000m, which is a straight final on Saturday with James Gormley running in the Ireland vest, while Sarah Healy will be a strong Irish medal hope in Saturday's women's 3000m final after winning the European title two weeks ago.
Sarah Lavin will be the last of the six-strong Ireland team in action when she competes in the women's 60m hurdles on Sunday after finishing fourth at the European Indoors.
You must be registered for see images
Continue reading...
