The Dundalk star clocked 8.23 in the 60m hurdles this morning at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena and followed it with a 1.81m clearance in the high jump, then threw a 6cm personal best of 14.70m in the shot put followed by a 6.38m leap in the long jump this evening.
That leaves her in second place going into the decisive 800m, which goes to the line at 7.03pm Irish time.
O’Connor currently has 3878 points, with Sofie Dokter of the Netherlands out in front with 3956 and USA’s Anna Hall third with 3841. Poland’s Adrianna Sulek-Schubert is in fourth with 3718.
Hall is by far the best 800m runner among them, having run a blazing 2:01.23 last summer. Sulek-Schubert has a quicker PB than O’Connor, 2:07.17 to 2:09.56, while Dokter’s best is 2:10.88.
With each second in the 800m equating to 14-15 points, the value depending on the finishing time, O’Connor would need to beat Dokter by over five seconds to take gold, while also finishing within about 2.5 seconds of Hall to repel the American.
Both of those look a tall order, but given the differences in the trio’s respective 800m abilities, just about anything is possible in the concluding event with each of the medals still up for grabs.
It was an early start this morning for O’Connor, who was on track just after 10am local time for the 60m hurdles, her 8.23 clocking just outside her lifetime best of 8.21 that she ran at the recent nationals in Dublin.
Hall was quickest in the 60m hurdles, clocking 8.18, while Dokter, who beat O’Connor at the European Indoors last year, broke new ground with a personal best of 8.19. Dokter continued her flying form in the high jump, going over a lifetime best of 1.87m to move into the overall lead.
O’Connor endured some nervous moments in the high jump and required a third attempt to go over 1.81m, having had to abort her initial try after slipping on a mat while starting her run-up.
She was visibly frustrated after failing three times at 1.84m, given she cleared a PB of 1.86m at the World Championships in Tokyo last year.
However, she bounced back in supreme fashion in the shot put, breaking her PB in the second round with 14.65m before bettering it again with 14.70m in the third round.
O’Connor is bidding to win her fifth consecutive medal at major championships, having won silver at the World Indoors in Nanjing last year and silver at the Tokyo World Championships.
Elsewhere, Sarah Lavin turned in an off-colour performance in the heats of the women’s 60m hurdles this morning, the two-time world indoor finalist finishing fifth in 8.08, well down on her season’s best of 7.98. It wasn’t enough to advance to the semi-final.
“I’m lost for words, and I wish I could tell you exactly what happened,” she said. “I had a very good warm-up. There’s nothing that signalled that I might give a performance like that.
“I don’t know if I’ve come to a championship and gone out the first round ever. I’m incredibly disappointed.”
World Indoor Championships: Live, Virgin Media Two, 4.30pm
Irish in action, Sunday (Irish time)
Kate O’Connor: pentathlon 800m, 7.03pm