Kate O’Connor has strengthened her gold medal position in the heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, producing another massive performance in the long jump with just two further events remaining.After torrential rain on Tuesday evening, conditions inside the Scotstoun Stadium were more favourable on Wednesday morning, though still windy. Undeterred, O’Connor saved her best jump until last, leaping out to 6.37 metres, an outdoor personal best.That earned O’Connor 965 points, and after five of the seven events, she’s now out on her own on 4,696 points, well clear of England’s Jade O’Dowda, who sits on 4,612 points. O’Dowda produced a long jump best of 6.29m in the third round.O’Connor’s 6.37m was also the best jump outright, and better than the 6.22m she jumped during her silver medal series at the World Championships in Tokyo last September. O’Connor had fouled her second attempt, after jumping 6.23m with her first effort. She did jump 6.50m indoors this year, on that occasion competing in the long jump only, winning the National Indoor title.Northern Ireland's Kate O'Connor competes in the women's heptathlon long jump. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty The Dundalk star is now closing in on what would be a remarkable sixth successive multi-event medal, having already won a World Indoor bronze in March in the pentathlon, adding to the four successive championship medals she won last year. She also won Commonwealth Games silver for Northern Ireland four years ago.O’Connor’s Northern Ireland team-mate Anna McCauley produced the best jump of her life, her second-round effort of 6.23m moving her up to fourth overall on 4,432 points. Mia Scerri from New Zealand lies third on 4,500 points.That medal quest will continue with the javelin (12.05pm), her best event, and finally the 800m (8.55pm) in the evening session.After Tuesday’s first four events, O’Connor was already clear in the gold medal position on 3,731 points, 49 points clear O’Dowda, who had taken over the lead after the shot put. Running in torrential rain, O’Connor defied conditions to take the 200m victory in 24.14 seconds, into a -0.5m/s headwind.She had clearly struggled to find her form inside slippery shot put circle, with best of 12.85m with her second throw, describing that event as “a nightmare”. Earlier on Tuesday, she produced a high jump best of 1.82m, also clocking 13.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles.