Johnson-Thompson Keeps Heptathlon Medal Dream Alive in Tokyo

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is no stranger to high-pressure heptathlon finales, and once again she finds herself in the thick of the fight for medals. With just two events left in the World Championships heptathlon in Tokyo, the defending champion sits third overall, very much in striking distance of her third world title.

The 32-year-old trails American leader Anna Hall by 167 points and sits just 59 points behind second-placed Taliyah Brooks. The gap is not insurmountable, especially given the drama the javelin and 800m can bring. Johnson-Thompson has been here before, chasing leaders into the final session, and she knows exactly what it takes to pull off a late charge.

Johnson-Thompson Shows Her Fight in Long Jump

Saturday’s long jump was full of tension for the Liverpool-born star. After fouling on a much bigger leap with her third and final attempt, she managed a best of 6.42m – solid, but perhaps leaving a few points on the board. That effort took her tally to 4,874 points going into Sunday’s javelin and 800m, events that will ultimately decide whether she ends up with gold, silver, bronze, or heartbreak.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the session, Johnson-Thompson was typically honest:

“It was hard to get going this morning, it was such a quick turnaround. I felt good, the body felt good, I’m just really gutted about that final no jump. It just shows the margins in sport. You can’t really get any closer.”

Those “margins” have defined Johnson-Thompson’s career. She was just 36 points – roughly two seconds in the 800m – away from gold at Paris 2024. Even so, she still celebrated her first Olympic medal with silver behind Nafi Thiam, finally breaking her Games curse after disappointment at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

A Return to the Scene of Heartbreak

Her return to the Japanese capital carries its own emotional weight. This is the same stadium where her Olympic hopes were crushed four years ago after a calf injury in the 200m forced her out of medal contention.

But this time around, there has been no talk of redemption or revenge. Johnson-Thompson appears calm, focused, and motivated simply by the challenge itself. After day one, she was just 12 points shy of the score that set her on course for gold in Budapest 2023 – an encouraging sign.

The problem, of course, is that Anna Hall is on another level right now. The American has posted a blistering series of performances, 156 points ahead of her own 2023 pace. It means Johnson-Thompson is not just competing against her own best self, but against the best version of Hall the world has ever seen.

British Team-Mates Rising to the Occasion

Katarina Johnson-Thompson during the world heptathlon competition

If there’s one thing spurring Johnson-Thompson on, it’s the performances of her fellow Brits. Jade O’Dowda has been one of the surprise packages of the championships, clocking a personal-best 13.34 seconds in the opening 100m hurdles to edge Johnson-Thompson’s season-best 13.44. O’Dowda has steadily climbed the standings, moving from 15th to sixth after a long jump season’s best of 6.49m.

Elsewhere, Abigail Pawlett showed incredible grit to recover from a nasty fall in the hurdles and still post the third-fastest 200m of the day behind Hall and Johnson-Thompson.

Nafi Thiam, meanwhile, sits down in eighth but has the javelin – one of her strongest disciplines – still to come. The Belgian superstar’s build-up was overshadowed by a public spat with her federation over its code of conduct, which she claimed kept her from joining the pre-championships team camp. Whether that has affected her preparation remains to be seen, but her experience and strength in the final two events mean she cannot be ruled out of a late surge for the podium.

Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell Eye Historic British One-Two

Away from the heptathlon, there is a real sense of excitement building around the women’s 800m final, where Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell are chasing history. The British pair are looking to deliver their country’s first one-two finish at a global championships since Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders in Osaka back in 2007.

Hodgkinson, the reigning Olympic champion, eased through her semi-final in 1:57.53 and is the clear favourite for gold, having clocked the fastest time in the world this season. Hunter Bell, fresh from her bronze medal in the 1500m, also qualified with ease, finishing just behind defending champion Mary Moraa of Kenya.

Hodgkinson reflected on what another global medal would mean after a difficult year marked by injury:

“This would mean more to me than last year, just the journey here makes it that much sweeter. It’s so difficult to get here anyway, and then to come here and perform, especially off the year that I’ve had – I’m just grateful to be running and want to put together a performance I’m proud of.”

Should the pair pull it off, it would be a landmark moment for British athletics, one that could inspire a new generation of middle-distance runners.

Mills Safely Through in the 5,000m

In the men’s 5,000m, George Mills booked his spot in Sunday’s final with a composed fourth-place finish in his heat. He will join Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in what promises to be a fascinating tactical battle for medals.

The Final Push

For now, all eyes are on Johnson-Thompson as she lines up for the javelin and the decisive 800m. If she can produce a big throw and hold her nerve over the final two laps, a podium place – and possibly even a third world title – is within reach.

Win or lose, her resilience and her journey back to the top of the sport have already cemented her status as one of Britain’s greats. But there is still history to be made in Tokyo, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson is not done writing her story just yet.