Kate O'Connor's footballer boyfriend made mad dash to see her win European gold

"There was a lot to manage. I knew she was dealing with all that."

The footballer boyfriend of Irish heptathlon star Kate O'Connor has revealed how he raced to witness her European championship triumph after competing in his own fixture.

Georgie Kelly is a well-known figure among League of Ireland supporters, having built his reputation during an impressive goalscoring stint with Bohemians in 2021.

That purple patch secured Kelly a transfer to Rotherham United in 2022. Kelly currently plies his trade with Carlisle United in the National League, and he was representing his side last Saturday while his partner O'Connor shone at the European Athletics Championships.

And after featuring in Carlisle's 1-1 away stalemate with Yeovil Town, Kelly then made a mad dash to Birmingham to arrive in time for his partner's medal presentation.

"My hands would be sweating," Kelly revealed to The Irish Times. "Especially the final jump in the high jump.

"I knew exactly where she was at. I knew she had to get over 1.86m. It was a huge jump for her because her shot put wasn't going as well.

"My heart rate, God. How she manages stress is a gift in itself.

"What people might not notice, even in Tokyo last year [at the World Championships], there could be 50,000 in the stadium but only a few Irish dotted around. Not in Birmingham.

"There were thousands cheering her on. That was the first time she has experienced that. And there was new pressure on her. 'Oh Kate is going to medal,' people were saying. There was a lot to manage. I knew she was dealing with all that.

"She is something else. She thrives under pressure."

Kelly boarded the Carlisle United team bus from Yeovil before making his own way to Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

"Yeovil was the worst possible venue to have to go to on Saturday. Aw, it's a trek, right down south.

"My plan was to get to Birmingham for the medal ceremony on Saturday night. It was a surprise, I didn't tell her I was coming.

"The bus dropped me off on the motorway and I got a taxi. I was there in decent enough time.."

Kelly and O'Connor first crossed paths when the striker was turning out for Dundalk, O'Connor's hometown, in the League of Ireland.

The couple now regularly make the journey between England and Ireland to spend time together.

Kelly said: "We try not to let it go longer than a few weeks without one of us popping over.

"Belfast is a wee bit easier. I can fly in. She is not able to relocate her whole team of coaches, physios, nutritionists. We just make it work. Nip over and back.

"I have been on more Ryanair flights than I've ever wanted to be on."

He added: "Kate is coming over to the glamorous Carlisle for a few weeks as she is finished for the season.

"We were checking the dates today for the Olympics in Los Angeles. End of July, early August, just when we're coming back for preseason."

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