Kate O'Connor enjoying staying busy after breakthrough 2025

Over the last 14 months, Kate O'Connor has been the star of Irish athletics.

The multi-event athlete has won five championship medals, including medals at the World and European Indoor championships, and the World Championships in Tokyo last September.

Right now, the focus is on camp in Portugal, where she is recovering after winning bronze in March in the pentathlon.

"We're over there to do a nice hard, hard block of training and get some good technical work in... Last block was more of a get-fit kind of block. So this block is more introducing all the events again", O'Connor told BreakingNews.ie.

"We actually have a bit of a rota. It's a bit of a competition at the moment on who can cook the best dinner. So, no, it's been good craic. It's nice to just fully put all your focus into training and recovery."

After finishing 14th at the Paris Olympic Games, O'Connor's improvements have been there for all to see.

The improvements, both physical and mental, have made her a must-watch athlete always in contention for medals.

The changes did not happen overnight, but were crucial to her progress.

"I just probably never fully committed enough up until 2025 to make that happen... I probably blamed the coaching around me more so. I was like, 'I do everything that you ask', which I did do.

"I probably wasn't looking after my nutrition and recovery side enough. I cleaned that up for the whole of winter season and I started in January 2025 in really good shape.

"I started winning medals at major championships, and continued doing what I was doing

"I don't know if it is a heptathlete thing, but I am genuinely very in tune with my body. I know what it needs, what it wants, whether that comes to food, recovery, rest, whether if someone