Milestone moment for O’Connor with Glasgow gold

Milestone moment for O’Connor with Glasgow goldImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, O’Connor won Northern Ireland’s first gold at the Games in athletics since 1986ByLauren McCannBBC Sport NI Journalist at Scotstoun StadiumPublished38 minutes ago”I’m not turning up to championships to come second and third, I want to be top.”Kate O’Connor’s objective heading into the Commonwealth Games was clear.She was on the podium plenty of times in a breakthrough 2025, but not in a senior event with a gold medal around her neck.The 25-year-old claimed silver in both the World indoor and outdoor Championships as well as bronze in the European indoors.But she wanted more in 2026 and to finally claim that milestone outdoor gold.On Wednesday, after two remarkable days of the heptathlon, she completed that mission and scooped her biggest prize to date, Team Northern Ireland’s first gold of the Glasgow Games and the country’s first in athletics since 1986.On Thursday evening at Scotstoun Stadium she will finally stand top of the podium and receive that gold medal.So, how does it feel for O’Connor to tick off one of her big goals of 2026? “It’s pretty special,” she told BBC Sport NI. “It’s all still a bit of a whirlwind. The last two days were really tough but I enjoyed today. I showed the competitive side of me which I had to do because people were nipping at my heels right until the very end.”O’Connor wins NI’s first gold medal in heptathlon