"After a near-flawless two days at the Japan National Stadium, the 24-year-old Dundalk athlete became the first Irish athlete ever to win a multi-events medal at a global outdoor championship, O'Connor taking second place in the heptathlon in Tokyo on Saturday. She racked up a remarkable 6714 points to finish behind US star Anna Hall (6888), obliterating her previous national record of 6487."
"O'Connor also ended a lengthy medal drought for the Irish at her sport's top table. Since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Ireland had gone 18 straight global outdoor championships without a medal in a track or field discipline, and it's 12 years since they won a medal of any kind at the World Championships - going back to Rob Heffernan's race walk gold in 2013."
Eilish O'Connor won heptathlon silver in Tokyo with 6714 points, becoming the first Irish athlete to win a multi-events medal at a global outdoor championship. She finished behind Anna Hall (6888), surpassing her previous national record of 6487. O'Connor recorded a season of continuous improvement, adding to pentathlon bronze at the European Indoors, World Indoors silver and heptathlon gold at the World University Games. She defeated the reigning world and Olympic champions during the competition. Her result ended a long Irish drought across global outdoor track and field championships dating back to Sydney 2000 and resets expectations ahead of the next Olympic cycle.
Read at Irish Independent
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