Katarina Johnson-Thompson celebrating during the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.

Sara Baalla

After regaining her world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month, British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson has proved that roadblocks make for an even more deserving victory. 

With injury troubles, changes in coaching and the devastating loss of her father, she has overcome her fair share of obstacles.

After clinching the gold medal by 20 points, ahead of the American world leader Anna Hall, Katarina Johnson-Thompson acknowledged that her unexpected comeback was always at the forefront of her mind: “I have been thinking about this for months and months and nobody else could see the vision apart from me and my team.”

Taking Britain’s heptathlon heritage to new heights

Sport was always on the cards for the now two-time world heptathlon champion.

Born and bred in Woolton, a leafy suburb of Liverpool, Johnson-Thompson began her sporting endeavours on the local football field. When introduced to the high jump on her school’s annual sports day, a love for athletics was born.

After breaking the school’s high jump record on her first try at the sport, the Liverpool Harriers Athletics Club welcomed Johnson-Thompson at the age of ten to begin refining her athletic abilities. Excelling across multiple disciplines and winning national titles meant only one thing for the talented youngster — the definite prospect of multi-events.

It was Johnson-Thompson’s experience at the Liverpool Harriers Athletics Club that empowered her enthusiasm for nourishing young talent, culminating in the creation of the KJT Academy. In partnership with the LFC Foundation, the KJT Academy provides guidance and experiences to aspiring athletes from the North West of England, including mentoring and other support systems.

“I started the year in a wheelchair, I was not willing to end my Olympic campaign in the same way”

It’ll be hard for any of us to forget the tragic sight of Johnson-Thompson writhing on the track at the end of the first day of the heptathlon at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Shortly after recovering from a career-threatening rupture to her left achilles, it was miraculous for the GB athlete to make the line-up for the Games. In a brutal end to her dream of winning an Olympic medal, KJT sustained a calf tear that dampened her performance at the World Championships in Eugene the following year.

Refusing medical assistance after the 200 metres, Johnson-Thompson fought till the end and limped to the line.

“I started the year in a wheelchair, and I was not willing to end my Olympic campaign in the same way,” she wrote in a heartfelt statement posted after the Games. Victory surely comes to those who wait.

https://twitter.com/BritAthletics/status/1422885236350853123

Budapest World Athletics Championships 2023

As she approached the blocks for the 100-metre hurdles, the first of the seven heptathlon disciplines, we didn’t want to believe something spectacular could be on the horizon. It was important to remember that it had only been a short time since Johnson-Thompson’s injury despair — which led to a rigorous surgical and rehabilitation process that left her with a three-inch scar across her achilles tendon.

An assured performance on day one granted KJT an advantage in second place behind the American superstar Anna Hall, a glimmer of hope beginning to form in the minds of many.

After an impressive high jump and a spectacular lifetime best in the javelin, Johnson-Thompson led by 43 points going into the highly anticipated 800-metre climax. Needing to beat the in-form Brit by nearly three seconds in the final race to claim victory, Hall surged to the front of the group with a noticeably strapped knee after picking up an injury during the high jump. Despite her best efforts to maintain a three-second gap, Johnson-Thompson kept Hall in her sights, slowly decreasing the distance and ultimately producing a personal best run to the gold.

“All I’ve ever wanted is a shot at gold”

“This is the best day of my life,” she cried when first faced with the media following her emphatic win. “All I’ve ever wanted is a shot at gold, and I’m so happy that I was able to take that opportunity today.”

Acknowledging how much easier it is to run when there is something important on the line, KJT said her run to the gold medal was one of the easiest runs of her life.

Her friends and family were quick to congratulate the champion across social media. They included boyfriend and fellow Team GB athlete Andrew Pozzi and best friend Jodie Comer — a.k.a everyone’s favourite Russian assassin — who met the heptathlete in their first year of secondary school in Liverpool.

https://twitter.com/Cromwell606/status/1554936481524981762

Outstanding gold medals from Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr in the 1500 metres boost Team GB’s bid for big wins at the Paris Olympics next year.

As KJT celebrates a career-defining win in Budapest, we remain optimistic that our resilient heptathlon hopeful can finally live out her Olympic dream.

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Featured image courtesy of Erik van Leeuwen via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Sara is a Sports Editor at Empoword and an entertainment news reporter based in London. An avid knitter and bookworm, in her spare time you'll almost always find her curled up in front of the telly rewatching New Girl or Brooklyn 99.

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