By Frank Dalleres
Katarina Johnson-Thompson produced a personal best in the decisive 800m to win heptathlon gold at the World Athletics Championships for a second time.
The Briton, whose career has been ravaged by an Achilles injury since she won this title in 2019, showed remarkable guts to pip American rival Anna Hall today in Budapest.
Johnson-Thompson, 30, knew she had to finish within three seconds of Hall in the final event and clocked two minutes 5.63 seconds, inside two seconds of her opponent.
Sprinter Zharnel Hughes won Britain’s first medal in the men’s 100m for 20 years when he claimed bronze behind American Noah Lyles and Letsile Tobogo.
Gold continues a huge turnaround in fortunes for Commonwealth champion Johnson-Thompson, who also produced a lifetime best throw of 46.14m in the javelin earlier in Hungary.
She admitted fearing for her career after rupturing her Achilles in 2019, soon after winning her first World Championship gold in Doha.
But Johnson-Thompson will now be among the firm favourites to claim a medal at next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, provided she can avoid another serious injury.
Former Olympic champion Jess Ennis-Hill said: “She’s come here and delivered those performances, strung them together and come away the best in the world again.
“In that last race, how gutsy was she to know that there were two-and-a-half or three seconds that she had to keep within Hall?
“She [Hall] went out hard, but Kat stuck with her all the way and didn’t let her out of her sight and she tore her down and took that gold medal.”
Fellow former British heptathlete Denise Lewis said: “She’s worked so hard on her throws and taken forward what she needed to be competitive, increasing what she’s doing in the gym, the throws and also the jumps. That’s been the turning point.”
Zharnel Hughes follows Johnson-Thompson with bronze in men’s 100m
Hughes, meanwhile, won an individual bronze to go with his relay medals from the last two World Athletics Championships in Eugene and Doha.
Lyles, who could yet do the 200m double, took gold in 9.83 seconds, with Tebogo, Hughes and Oblique Seville all on 9.88 and separated in a photo finish.
“I’m super, super, super grateful right now. Thank you to my team, thank you to my coach. This one is for you guys back home, it means the world to me,” said Hughes.
“My heart is full with emotions. I wanted the gold medal, but I’m happy to leave with a medal.”
