LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

The 42

KATE O’CONNOR IS leading the field after two events of the 2026 Commonwealth Games heptathlon in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old Dundalk AC star finished joint-first in the high jump at Scotstoun Stadium, vaulting her four points ahead of England’s Jade O’Dowda atop the leaderboard.

O’Connor cleared 1.82m on her third attempt, marking a season’s best and coming within 4cm of her personal best. She couldn’t improve on that mark after three efforts at 1.85m.

She now sits on 2,047 points after two events, with O’Dowda on 2,043. New Zealand’s Maddie Wilson, who matched O’Connor’s 1.82m in the high jump, is third on 1,942 points. 

Earlier, O’Connor clocked 13.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles – just 0.10 seconds off her best.

She finished third in a race won by sprint hurdles specialist Sienna MacDonald of Canada, with O’Dowda second.

O’Connor is targeting the gold medal, and her main rival, England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, has withdrawn due to injury.

The heptathletes will later compete in the shot put (7pm) and 200m (8.04pm), before the long jump, javelin, and 800m on Wednesday. 

• You can follow the results here

Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.