Katarina Johnson-Thompson from Great Britain is currently leading the heptathlon event at the Paris 2024 Olympics after four events. She threw a personal best of 14.44m in the shot put and clocked 23.44 seconds in the 200m, putting her ahead of her rival Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium. Johnson-Thompson has a total of 4,055 points, leading Thiam by 48 points and American Anna Hall by 99 points.
The heptathlon will conclude with the long jump, javelin, and 800m events on Friday. Johnson-Thompson had a strong start to the competition with season-best performances in the 100m hurdles and high jump, leading Thiam by 24 points after the first day. Despite shot put being one of her weaker events, she managed to limit her losses to Thiam by throwing the best shot put of her life.
In an interview, Johnson-Thompson expressed her satisfaction with her performance in the shot put and acknowledged the support of Denise Lewis. She described it as one of the best moments in her career. The reigning world champion reflected on her journey from overcoming a career-threatening injury to winning world gold and now aiming for an Olympic medal.
If all three athletes match their personal bests in the remaining events, Johnson-Thompson, Thiam, and Hall’s total scores would be as follows:
– Thiam: 7,220
– Johnson-Thompson: 7,143
– Hall: 7,022
In other Olympic news, Laura Muir and Georgia Bell from Great Britain qualified for the final of the women’s 1500m event. Bell finished second in the semi-final, behind Faith Kipyegon from Kenya, while Muir comfortably secured her spot in the final. Unfortunately, Revee Walcott-Nolan ran a personal best but did not qualify for the final.
The women’s 1500m final is scheduled to take place at 19:15 BST on Friday, adding to the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The competition continues to showcase incredible performances and fierce rivalries among the world’s top athletes, making it a thrilling event for sports fans worldwide.