\n<\/p>\n
Given that impressive 2025 she had, the pressure was on O’Connor to at least win a medal in Glasgow and it only ramped up after Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who had won gold ahead of her in 2022, pulled out.<\/p>\n
The Englishwoman’s withdrawal paved the way for a good shot at that coveted gold, but she still had to go out and deliver.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor ended on 6,569 points, 291 ahead of her nearest challenger, England’s Jade O\u2019Dowda, but it wasn\u2019t all straightforward. <\/p>\n
Resilience is a key trait for any sportsperson, but particularly a heptathlete.<\/p>\n
Fortunes can fluctuate across the seven events so it is needed in ample supply to come out on top at the end of two days of competition.<\/p>\n
It was particularly pertinent for O’Connor in a rain-soaked second session of the event on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
After a good start in the morning, that brought a third-place finish in the 100m hurdles and a season’s best 1.82m in the high jump, O’Connor struggled in the shot put and dipped well below her high standards by throwing just 12.85m as the torrential rain hammered down.<\/p>\n
She said trying to grip the shot put in that rain was akin to trying to lift a bar of soap and that she was “gutted” as she “made it a lot easier for the rest of them to beat me”.<\/p>\n
Her resilience was shown in abundance in the 200m that followed as she defied the elements to easily win her heat in a time of 24.14.<\/p>\n
The Newry-born athlete added she had to “work really hard” on Wednesday and that she did, finishing with a flourish.<\/p>\n
First came a big leap of 6.37m in the long jump, then another season’s best, this time in the javelin, of 52.85m that far exceeded those around her. <\/p>\n
It will be particularly satisfying as that was an event she had worked hard at improving heading into 2026.<\/p>\n
All that was left was to hold her nerve in the 800m and she did that and more, cruising to victory in a time of 2:10.46 just as the sun broke through for the celebrations at Scotstoun.<\/p>\n
“I came here expecting a lot from myself and I really wanted to score like 6,600 or 6,700 and open up my season because that’s the shape I felt I was in,” she added.<\/p>\n
“After day one I had to raincheck myself a bit, it’s not always about getting huge big scores but competing and getting the best out of yourself with the elements and challenges.<\/p>\n
“I tried to navigate it as best as I could. The shot put didn’t go to plan, it needs work in those conditions, but I’m happy overall with how I did. <\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of positives to take from it. I’ve got a gold medal round my neck so I can’t say much more.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n