Valerie O'Connor (middle) with her colleagues at St. Mary's Special School, Navan.

St. Mary’s Special School beams with pride as staff member mum cheers on champion Kate O'Connor

Published: Mon 22 Sep 2025, 2:32 PM

There was great excitement in St. Mary’s Special School, Johnstown, on Friday as pupils and staff gathered to watch Dundalk athlete Kate O’Connor compete at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Jumping for joy... Valerie's daughter, Kate O'Connor celebrates after winning silver in the women's heptathlon during day eight of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at Japan National Stadium. Photo by Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE

The school set up a big screen so everyone could cheer Kate on as she battled through the gruelling seven-event heptathlon. Her mum, Valerie O’Connor, is a much-loved member of staff at St. Mary’s, and the whole school community was eager to share in the moment.

Kate O'Connor reacts after running a personal best of 24.07 in the Women's Heptathlon 200m event during day seven of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at Japan National Stadium. Photo by Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE

When Kate crossed the line to secure her silver medal, Ireland’s first World Championships medal since 2013, there were smiles, cheers and plenty of pride in the room. Teachers described it as a “special moment” for the children, who were delighted to see Kate’s success unfold live.