O’Connor will take a couple of weeks now to “chill” and “not speak about athletics” before reflecting and evaluating 2026 with dad and coach Michael, as they plan ahead for what will hopefully be an exciting couple of years.
However, in amongst all the excitement of her big wins this summer was the family sadness of the passing of her grandmother Madeleine to who she dedicated the European gold medal.
“My granny was one of my biggest supporters and, like, every medal that I would win, she was completely over the moon every single time,” explained O’Connor.
“She would always make jokes that she was no longer called Madeleine. She was called Kate O’Connor’s granny.
“She loved to tell literally everybody and anybody that she met. It was really tough after world indoors, whenever she got sick and my dad was split between looking after her and training me.
“It was just a really tough time for the whole family but my dad has been completely incredible.
“She was already the proudest person in the world and I think that she was watching over me over those last couple of days.
“That’s why I wanted to dedicate it to her because she’s been such a huge part of my life, a huge part of my dad’s life and an inspiration to all of my family.”
