Tokyo – Katarina Johnson-Thompson remains in contention for a third world title in the heptathlon, despite the withdrawal of reigning Olympic champion Nafi Thiam during Saturday’s penultimate session in Tokyo. Johnson-Thompson sits in third place heading into the final two events – the javelin and 800m – and will be aiming to close a 167-point gap to American leader Anna Hall and a 59-point deficit to Taliyah Brooks.
The withdrawal of Thiam, who has shared the last four world gold medals with Johnson-Thompson, significantly alters the landscape of the competition. Johnson-Thompson recorded a long jump of 6.42m on Saturday, narrowly avoiding a foul on a longer attempt, bringing her total points to 4,874. Ireland’s kate O’Connor is fourth,50 points off the podium,while Grate Britain’s Jade O’Dowda is sixth.
Thiam’s coach, Michael van der Plaetsen, confirmed her withdrawal to Belgium’s national press agency, stating, “I withdrew her from the competition.” The decision follows a challenging build-up to the championships for the 31-year-old, marked by a dispute with Belgian Athletics.
Thiam had publicly claimed the federation blocked her from joining the team camp due to her refusal to sign their code of conduct, stemming from a sponsor conflict. Prior to her withdrawal, she told DH sports +: “It was challenging from the beginning. I tried to fight, to go through these difficulties, but clearly it dose not follow.I have trouble explaining it myself.”
she added, “Clearly my body is not happy. I don’t want to do anything stupid, as I think that now, finishing would be for the principle.” The heptathlon will conclude with the javelin throw at 11:00 BST and the 800m at 13:11.
