KATE O'CONNOR shared an emotional exchange of tributes with her dad on the Late Late Show. The 24-year-old made history last month by winning a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships - fresh off bronze at the Europeans. In doing so, she became the first Irish athlete to medal on this global stage since Derval O'Rourke took gold in Moscow 19 years ago. She is also now the only Irish athlete EVER to have won a medal at a multi-sport event at World and European level. Her dad Michael is also her coach and, appearing on the Late Late Show, O'Connor praised his influence. She said: "I went to University in England and I came back during Covid time. "I was lucky enough that he was there and able to pick things up for me and from that moment we took things and ran with it. "I suppose having somebody who is 100 percent in your corner and will fight with everything they have got for what he thinks I deserve has led to those medals. "Without him I wouldn't have got those medals." Her dad was overcome with emotion when speaking to RTE in the immediate aftermath of her medaling at the Europeans. Michael was in the audience for her appearance on the Late Late Show, and paid tribute to his superstar daughter. He also suggested that she could have a major say at the 2028 Olympics should she be kept safe. He said: "She is an exceptional talent. "I don't tell her this by the way but I will tell you now, the joy I get down on the track working with somebody like that. "She is a dream. She is an absolute dream of an athlete to work with. "She gives us all 100 percent every single time. She sets the standards for us all and sometimes the standards are way up here and we go, 'Oh my god.' "Maybe I drive the bus but she is the one pointing where she wants to go and when to take the right turn and when to take the left turn. "She is a super talent and I think for us as a nation, we are going to have some fun watching her over the next number of years. "If we can keep her safe, if we can bubble wrap her and support her and have the team around her that will take her to the next Olympic Games and the Olympics after that. "Her potential is limitless."