by Perri Williams
When you mention the name Diarmuid O’Connor to the athletics fraternity, the response is always positive. “One of the most under-rated athletics in Irish athletics” he has since 2021 sat under the radar. That is until the indoor season opened up in the USA. O’Connor smashed the u23 national indoor record at the UCONN husky indoor challenge. Competing for the University of Connecticut O Connor won the multi events with new personal bests in the 60m, Long Jump, Pole Vault and 1000m.
When Run Republic published the results of that wonderful record, a comment was left on our page “I wondered what had happened to him”. What happened to O’Connor has been a story of success, frustration and re-emergence.
A talented juvenile O’Connor started his athletics career with Old Abbey AC before transferring to Bandon AC. O’Connor played many sports until he was 16, when he decided to concentrate on athletics. Inheriting a strong work ethic from his parents Denise Kelleher and Denis O’Connor, and inspired by his multi-eventer cousin Brian Lynch (who competed in the u18 European Championships in 2018), O’Connor decided to concentrate on the multi events. It was a decision that paid off. Under the tutelage of the legendry Frank Stam (Bandon AC) the talented juvenile qualified for the European Youth Olympics in Baku back in 2019, where he finished 6th.
European u20s - Fourth Place
While he won the Irish u20 Decathlon championships in September 202O with a total of 6,807 points, things had just not yet clicked with him. However, in June 2021 at an international multi-events competition in Tenerife, he qualified for the European u20 championships with a total of 7,350 points. “Being in Tenerife, with lots of professional athletes taking part in the senior event, was an inspiration for me” said O’Connor. “I got to talk with them and mix with them for the first time ever”. He came into the European Championships the following month in Tallinn ranked at the bottom of the field. No one except those close to him could have anticipated the improvements he had made in just a month and a half. Setting personal bests in eight of his ten events he finished in fourth place. Additionally he set a new Irish u20 record of 7.604 points obliterating Barry Walsh’s mark that had stood for 36 years. (Walsh incidentally set that mark when finishing 3rd in the European u20s). O’Connor attributes his European success to many people and many things. The coaching from Frank Stam, his parents and of course his enormous work ethic goes without saying. There was one additional person who seem to have made a big difference. Olivia Hahn Scully. “Olivia brought a different dimension to my performance, something I had never tried before: Mindfulness and meditation. To this day, I still keep in touch with Olivia and we talk at least once a week. I feel uber confident when working with her”, he said.
National u23 Decathlon Record
On the back of this success offers came from American Universities. He accepted an offer from Texas Tech. Unfortunately for O’Connor injury struck – an injury that kept him out of competition until well into 2022 and reoccurred in early 2023. He lasted a month with Texas Tech. Coming back to Ireland in September 2023, the UCC law graduate was left in limbo. He spent the next three months in Belgium training with a pro group which includes prominent athletes such as Noor Vidtz and the top Belgian male multi-eventers. This was the beginning of a new journey, increased motivation after what had been a devastating two years. He applied for scholarships again and was accepted into the University of Connecticut, where he started in January 2024. Initially competing in individual events for points, O’Connor did not attempt his first decathlon in over three years until April 2024. At the Big East at Villanova he won the competition with a total of 7,610 points. A National u23 record, one that was 22 years standing. Plus it was the best performance by an Irish athlete in the decathlon for over 30 years “The time in college in the US allows me to focus on my athletics again. It gives me the space and time I need. I do not have to worry about finances, medical expenses or about travel arrangements. It is that opportunity I need to push myself back into where I need to be”.
All-American Decathlon
His performance at the Big East had qualified for him for the NCAA Track and Field Championships. “This was a huge emotional moment for me” said O’Connor. “I had worked so hard. I hated watching people compete when I was on the sideline injured. It took a lot of hard work to get back up there again”. As he spoke about that moment a year ago, the emotion in his voice was evident. The general public often just see the results and can make their own judgement call on what they perceive from those results. But behind every good and bad competition, there is an athlete with their own story, their own raw emotion – all in that one moment. For the vast majority of Irish people who had forgotten the name Diarmuid O’Connor, they did not see that moment. In fact outside of the West Cork community his results in Irish athletics went fairly un-noticed. He finished 13th at the NCAA nationals in Euguene in June. “Going to the nationals, especially in the Hayward Field was massive for me” said O’Connor. “Especially after three years of a real hard slog and feeling rejected by the sport”.
With increased motivation he continued his training hoping to have a bigger presence for the 2025 season. Moving into present time he commented “seeing how Kate (O’Connor) has done over the past few months, makes me want to represent Ireland the way she does”.
NCAA qualifier for the 2025 season
In early February this year he competed in his first indoor heptathlon in what has been years, where he finished first with a total of 5.413 points. Two weeks later O’Connor broke the Irish indoor heptathlon record at the Big East Indoor Track & Field Championships in Chicago. It was a record that had stood for 23 years. Recording personal bests in the 60m, pole vault and 1000m, he scored 5594 points across the seven events to take gold. “I was delighted with the record but felt there was so much more in me. I may have had the record but I did not qualify for nationals and I wanted more” said O’Connor. While he may have wanted more, breaking that national record was what once again reignited him with the Irish athletics fraternity. Reports of his performance were mentioned across all media platforms including the national press.
At the UConn Northeast Challenge in Storrs at the end of April, O'Connor set a new personal best in the decathlon with 7,658 points. In doing so he secured top-2 finishes in all ten events, to rank him first in the Big East and 9th in the country. He has qualified for his second NCAA finals which will be held this month. O’Connor is now third on the Irish all-time list, the national record of 7882 which has stood to Carlos O’Connell since 1988 is certainly within reach.
Outside of the University system O’Connor has to be in the top 24 in the ranking lists to qualify for the World Championships. Speaking candidly, he stated “I need to be that person who ranks in the top 24. Do I think I can do that while at Connecticut? I do not know.” Going to Belgium a year and a half ago was a huge experience for O’Connor. He was after all training with athletes who were in the top 24. In this set up, the coach gives the athletes more attention. More specific things to improve. They are multi-events experts. “That is what I need” he said. Maybe it is where he will head again when he completes his masters degree at UConn. “I will have another NCAA season (2025/2026) where I want to break that 8,000 points barrier. So while I am here in the NCAA system, I want to be as good as the guys I am up against” he said. “Once I am out of this system, I want to dedicate my time to training like a pro. I want to become smarter with my training, better with my techniques and learn more about myself as an athlete. I want to do what Kate has done” he said emphatically.
For the moment he needs to work more on his weakest events which are pole vault and Javelin. His hurdles have suffered somewhat since his injury and he has yet to maintain consistency with them. Incidentally his strongest events are High Jump (2.20m). The decathlon is a gruelling event and is often under-estimated by spectators. With up to three sessions a day, six days a week, recovery is important as athletes like Diarmuid place huge demands on their bodies.
“In general” said O’Connor, “the execution of my events needs to improve. I have all the physical traits I need to become technically better and consistent. If I can fix one or two technical things I can do well. These are only small adjustments and mentally I am strong and can put these things together” he continued.
On the NCAA this month the Bandon AC athlete feels excited about competing. “I feel good. While I know there is no point in feeling good in training, I do realise that I need to translate this into competition. This is what I intend to do in Eugene”.
One could not help but feel inspired and excited about Decathlon after speaking to Diarmuid. From the embers of what was a promising junior career he has found the courage, motivation and depth to overcome the adversity of his injuries. With Kate O’Connor now highlighting the multi-events, it has also given Diarmuid the increased motivation to lead the way in the men’s multi-events. We look forward to watching him compete at the NCAA’s.