Games, holding five national breaststroke titles at the time of her selection. One of four Irish swimmers selected for Mexico in what was a decade of significant advancement in Irish swimming, the 16-year-old O’Connor had set a new national record in the 100m breaststroke (1:18.0) in an early-season international against Iceland, reflecting the rapid progress of Irish swimming in the 1960s. She also competed in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay alongside Vicki Smith, Brenda McGrory and Aisling O’Leary.

The OCI appointed a chaperone, Jane McVeigh, to accompany O’Connor and Smith to Mexico given their youth.