LAST UPDATE | 21 Mar
IRELAND’S KATE O’CONNOR is in the bronze medal position ahead of the final event of the pentathlon, the 800m (1.15pm Irish time), at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Friday.
European Indoor bronze medallist O’Connor jumped back-to-back PBs in the long jump to cement her medal prospects.
The 24-year-old jumped a 6.30 followed by 6.32. This takes her to 3838 points overall – Finland’s Saga Vanninen, the European Indoor champion leads on 3932.
America’s Taliyah Brooks is second on 3841pts. O’Connor just three points behind the silver medal position.
Dundalk’s O’Connor opened her championships with a personal best of 8.30 seconds in the 60m hurdles, shaving another hundredth of a second off her previous best set at European Indoors a few weeks ago.
She followed that up with a confident 1.81m in the high jump, with Vanninen and America’s Timara Chapman both needing to produce PBs of their own to match her.
And O’Connor rounded out a real statement of intent with another big PB in the shot put where she threw 14.64 with her second attempt.
O’Connor returns to action later with the 800m (1.15pm Irish time), with coverage live on BBC Two.
Peter o’mahoney was by far the best player on the field. Turnover after turnover he made. Tadgh did well but peter was a class apart
@Brian Jones: two superb players who both brilliantly; agree Pete may have shaded it
@Brian Jones: to be pedantic about it he made turnover after turnover after turnover. It’s in the article… he made 3 turnovers.
@Timmy O’Toole: *played
@Brian Jones: I’d say it was a close call. Probably Furlong playing for longer helped his case. I thought they were both amazing out there. Fair play to them all.
@Fergal O Lachtnain: 2 of which gave us 6pts in a game we won by 5. It’s not the amount, but the importance of them.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: well furlong scores a try which gave us 7 points…
I love the Irish fans. Not happy when we win, we then have to claim the best player came from munster instead of Leinster or vice versa.
Anyway sexton was the big difference between this week and last.
@sup: you’re the first one here to mention Munster or Leinster so your projection won’t change the fact that even an RTÉ commentator could’ve told you this particular game was won in the backrow with the amount of breakdowns and turnovers there were.
Pure Wexford Beef.
@Kieran Campbell: he gets his strength from his mothers side, west cork beef!!!
@E Coughlan: chip
@Marcodub: wow it took you all day to get out from under your rock did it?
I knew some gimp would get upset by my joke, no surprise who it is do.
He’s some man for one man! Such a nice humble guy.
@Sam Harms: Best prop in world rugby and seems like a pretty decent human too.
Furlong was great, but I have to agree with most on here and say POM was MOTM. Lots of great performances out there today. Next week will be brilliant
Furlong has been Ireland’s best and most consistent performer for the last 18 months. Always gives 100% and solidifies the scrum every time he is on the field. He also brings another dimension in play
Sad thing it was great performance today by a host of players, a great win and instead of celebrating some people are still going on about Munster/Leinster. Get over yourselves lads. Furlong had a great game and so did POM. You think either of them care who got MOTM? Not all all.
@Eddie Hekenui: Im a connacht supporter, not a leinster or munster supporter. I see it as it is in connacht very well, so i undetstand quality when i see it no matter the province
What!? POM didn’t get it? Jaysus!
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: cause Furlong was better
@Marcodub: is that you, Reggie?
I hope our team win the World Cup. Our country and people deserve it.