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atarina Johnson-Thompson produced the 800metres of her life to defy expectations and win a second heptathlon world title of her career in Budapest on Sunday.
Having recovered from a catalogue of injuries, the 2019 world champion set a personal best by nearly two seconds over two gruelling laps of the track to win the title by just 20 points from Anna Hall.
Hall had beaten the Briton by some 400 points at their previous heptathlon meeting in Gotzis earlier in the year but the American was reportedly hampered by a hamstring issue this time around.
That’s to take nothing away from the Liverpudlian, who has endured a miserable run of injury misfortune of her own since running away with the 2019 world title in Doha.
A ruptured Achilles cast her Olympic participation in doubt in 2021 and, although she recovered in time, she was then hit by a calf injury during the event in the 200m.
No wonder she concluded this world title had eclipsed the first, calling it “the best day of her life”.
She looked well off her best last season but had shown promise of a return to full form and fitness. Beforehand, she had talked about these championships almost like a stepping stone to the Paris Olympics, which are a mouthwatering prospect with her and Hall both in contention and, in theory, Nafi Thiam, back.
It was more than 200 points off the 30-year-old’s best hepthatlon total but the number of points were immaterial as long as higher than Hall’s.
Johnson-Thompson has habitually been weaker on the second day of a heptathlon, with javelin often the Achilles heel.
But a surprise PB in that – a throw of 46.14metres – allied to the best distance of 6.54m in the earlier long jump but her 26 points in the lead over Anouk Vetter.
More crucially, Hall was just 43 points back going into the 800m, an event in which she had been 10seconds quicker than Johnson-Thompson in Gotzis. The Briton needed to be within three seconds for the gold.
Hall went off well, clearly the best middle-distance runner in the field but Johnson-Thompson refused to let her get away.
As they came round the final bend, if anything the Briton closed the gap to set that PB for the distance and narrowly give her the gold as she finished just one-and-a-half seconds back.
She collapsed to the track part in exhaustion, part in relief, sobbing into her hands, and having an emotive hug with Hall when both had recovered enough.
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