World Athletics Championships: Katarina Johnson-Thompson eighth as Nafissatou Thiam wins second heptathlon gold

Double Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam reclaimed her world crown after comfortably beating Anouk Vetter in the final 800m event, with defending champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson eighth overall. Vetter, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, held a slender 19-point lead over the Belgian going into the final discipline in Eugene, but Thiam comfortably clawed that back when finishing seven seconds quicker in the 800m.

Ad/> American Anna Hall won that race to seal bronze. World Championships'All about the medal' — GB's Muir battles to bronze in 1500m at worlds3 HOURS AGO «I worked really hard on the 800m so knew I could do a good time, but think I needed that extra push of someone behind me,» said Thiam, who claimed world gold in 2017 and then silver when Johnson-Thompson won the event in 2019.

Johnson-Thompson was deemed an outside shot for the podium having recently changed coaches and completed just one heptathlon event since suffering a calf injury during Tokyo 2020 last year. The Briton placed as high as sixth after the fourth discipline, the 200m, but rarely troubled her own personal bests across the heptathlon.

'All about the medal' — GB's Muir battles to bronze in 1500m at worlds ‘Nothing I can do’ – Allen reacts to controversial disqualification at World Championships 'Amazing to be among the greats' — Kerley wins 100m crown as US record 1-2-3 /> She was fifth in the opening 100m hurdles, 0.46 seconds off her PB of 13.09. Her high jump score was 1.83m (PB 1.98m), and she then threw 12.92m (PB 13.86m) in the shot put, ran 23.62s (PB 22.79s)in the 200m and posted 6.28m (PB 6.92m) in the long jump.

In the 800m, she ran 2:19.16 (PB 2:07.26). «I am sort of a dreamer and I thought it could have gone a bit differently, but I