Kate O'Connor is The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2025
Kate O’Connor, who crowned an unbelievable breakthrough year by winning silver in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, is The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2025.
The award caps an amazing 12 months for the 25-year-old Dundalk-based track and field star who medalled in all four of the championships she entered and announced herself on the world stage as one of the best all-round women athletes in the world.
In a year of outstanding achievements her silver at the World Championships in Tokyo was the crowning glory. As well as scoring five personal bests in the seven events, she attained a tally of 6,714 points, smashing her own Irish record set in July.
Although it was only her second appearance on the outdoor World Championships stage – she placed 13th two years ago - O’Connor arrived in Tokyo in the form of her life.
In March she won bronze in the pentathlon in the European Indoor Championships at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, setting a new Irish record and becoming the first Irish athlete to medal in a senior multi-event. That earned her a share of the Sportswoman of the Month Award for March with Sarah Healy, who claimed gold in the 3,000 metres at the same championships.
Less than a fortnight later O’Connor upgraded that bronze to silver at the World Indoor Championships at Nanjing in China, becoming just the third Irishwoman after Sonia O’Sullivan in 1997 and Derval O’Rourke in 2006 to make a World Indoor podium.
In July another groundbreaking display at the World University Games in Bochum saw O’Connor switch seamlessly from the pentathlon – five events spread across one day – to the heptathlon – seven events outdoors spread across two days.
On this occasion, O’Connor - who was representing the University of Ulster - smashed her old Irish heptathlon record on her way to claiming the gold medal.
Off the back of those successes, O’Connor, who is a member of the St Gerard’s Athletics Club in Dundalk, arrived in Tokyo in confident mood.
Everything on day one went according to plan, with PBs in the 100m hurdles, the 200m and the high jump moving her into second place.
However, a knee injury in the long jump on the morning of day two caused her a good deal of pain and anxiety and for a short period she slipped to fourth place. Despite the injury O’Connor battled bravely to record a PB in the javelin before another PB in the 800m secured her a stunning silver medal.
Afterwards an emotional O’Connor said, “It’s just insane, words can’t describe how I feel, words can’t describe the year that I’ve had…. I’ve never really come to a championship before and had as much pressure on my shoulders, not even from just people outside, but from myself. I expected big things and always knew I was in with a shot of getting a medal. It’s one thing knowing that you’re capable of it, it’s another thing going and doing it.”
Even in the immediate aftermath of such great success, O’Connor, who was born in Newry and represents Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games, showed she has serious plans for the future.
“My expectations for myself changed this year, and they’ve probably changed again now. I think I’ve set myself up really well for the next three years, heading for the Olympics, and I’m prepared to put my head down and work really hard.”
With that silver medal-winning performance, O’Connor, who has been trained by her father Michael since she was 10-years-old, becomes only the sixth Irish athlete to win a medal at the World Championships and the first Irish athlete to win an outdoor multi-event medal.
But her success has not just been confined to her athletic pursuits. In the last week, as well as celebrating her 25th birthday, she has also graduated with a Master’s degree in PR and Communications from Ulster University.
But for the medium term, she will be focusing very much on her sporting career. O’Connor told the BBC in a recent interview that she wants to compete in athletics professionally for the next two Olympic cycles with a gold medal her primary ambition.
"My ultimate goal is to get to the Olympics and to be on the podium and try to win a gold medal. I think if you're not imagining yourself doing that, you're never going to get it," she said.
"I'm going to work really hard until I get there. I fully believe that I can do it. Although I did great things this year, I know there is so much more there. I'm just going to continue building and see what else I can do."
Outstanding Contribution Award for Staunton
Legendary Mayo Gaelic football forward Cora Staunton, who won four All-Irelands and three National League titles with the county, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award.
Staunton, who made her debut for the county team in 1995 aged just 13, won her first All-Ireland four years later. However, she only played a couple of minutes at the start of that game as she had broken her collarbone in training the week before.
In 2000 she won her second, scoring 2-2 in a win over Waterford. She went on to win successive All Irelands with the county in 2002 and 2003.
In addition to her county medals, Staunton won six All-Ireland ladies club football championships with her club Carnacon. In a senior career which spanned 24 years in total in the red and green of Mayo, she amassed a total of 11 All Star Awards. She retired from intercounty football in 2019.
However, she continued to play Aussie Rules, having become the first overseas player to be drafted in the fledgling Women’s Australian Football League when she was selected by Great Western Sydney Giants for the 2017 season. She went on to score over 50 goals in her Aussie Rules career before retiring in 2023.
Staunton, along with several members of the Mayo football team, also played soccer. Indeed in 2006, she was a member of the Mayo Ladies League representative team that won the FAI Cup defeating UCD 1–0 in the final at Richmond Park. And she captained Castlebar to a first Connacht Rugby Women’s Leage title back in 2013.
Staunton, who works with Mayo Sports Partnership, is now a respected football analyst and commentator. Her autobiography, called Game Changer, was named the 2018 Bord Gáis Energy Sports Book of the Year.
Several years ago she was asked by The Irish Times what advice she had for young people looking to get into sport.
“The biggest piece of advice I could give to young people, whether you’re male or female, is it can take you a long time to find the sport that you love or have a passion for. You don’t have to play sports at an elite level or very competitive level and sometimes I don’t even like to use the word sport, I like to say interest because it doesn’t always have to be sport. You might be involved in dance, or you could be involved in music, or be involved in drama….. It can take a long time to find your interest and what you need to do is keep trying and trying out things and finding out what you like.
“I’m often asked at school talks what my favourite thing is about sport, is it winning in Croke Park? Travelling to Australia? They’re all great things but it’s the people that you meet within sport that are without a shadow of a doubt the biggest reason that we keep continuing to play sport. It’s the team-mates, the friends, the coaches, all of these people, they become lifelong friends.”
Other recipients of the 12 monthly awards
This year, the 21st year of the Awards was clearly a special one for Irish athletics, with athletes making up over a quarter of the 15 monthly award winners (For some months there are double winners). In addition to O’Connor and Sarah Healy, Orla Comerford (Sept) and Caitríona Jennings (Nov) won Sportswoman of the Month awards. Some of the other winners included boxers Katie Taylor and Aoife O’Rourke, soccer players Katie McCabe and Kelly Brady as well as Lara Gillespie and Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly in cycling. (For full list of monthly award winners see below).
The Sports Editor of The Irish Times Noel O’Reilly paid tribute to all the 2025 winners.
“Once again, it has been a pleasure and a privilege for our team of reporters at The Irish Times to cover the achievements of these women through 2025.
“They are heroes of Irish life, examples to our daughters and sons and a credit to their families, coaches, partners, and friends. We thank them and salute them for making it such a memorable and special year, and we wish them continuing success in the year to come.”
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O'Donovan said: “Irish sportswomen have delivered extraordinary achievements this year, breaking records and making history across multiple disciplines. Their dedication reflects resilience and commitment in the face of significant challenges. Their sacrifices and unwavering commitment deserve sincere appreciation. We are privileged to have such inspiring role models, and I warmly congratulate all of this year’s award recipients for their outstanding contribution to Irish sport.”
Dr Úna May, Sport Ireland CEO said: "This year has been extraordinary for Irish women in sport, and today we proudly celebrate their achievements. These successes are built on the unwavering support of coaches, families, volunteers, and communities. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.
“It's important to also credit the state for its strong and consistent investment. The Government’s generous €4m allocation to the Women in Sport Programme is truly transformative. This funding drives initiatives in participation, coaching, leadership, visibility, and more, ensuring women and girls thrive at every stage of sport."
For more information about the Awards go to
https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sportswoman-of-the-year-award/