Katarina Johnson-Thompson takes lead into second day of heptathlon

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads the Olympic heptathlon after the first day of competition at Stade de France.

The Liverpudlian got off to an excellent start on Thursday morning and sat top of the pack after the morning session’s 100 metres hurdles and the high jump ahead of main rival Nafissatou Thiam.

The Belgian and Briton briefly swapped places following the evening’s shot put session, but Johnson-Thompson regained her advantage after clocking 23.44 seconds in the 200 metres.

She enters day two with a combined 4055 points, 48 more than Thiam and 99 ahead of the United States’ Anna Hall, Thursday’s third-place finisher.

Johnson-Thompson said: “It was a good day, the best I have had in a long time. Couple of really good signs, and a good couple of events, so I am really pleased with what I’ve put together.

“I’ve been saying that training has been going really well, I’ve had no injuries since Rome (European championships), so I’ve been putting together weeks and weeks of training.

“You never know what to expect when you don’t compete as much, but I am really happy I was able to put out what I’ve been seeing in training.

“It is one of the best places I have ever been in coming into an Olympics. This seems like a combination of everything that I have learned, so I am trying to put it together.”

Thiam briefly took a 50-point lead in the shot put when she  equalled her personal best 15.54 for the best throw of the evening.

Johnson-Thompson’s 14.44 was also a personal best, but only good enough for fifth-furthest.

The heptathlete told the BBC: “That was entirely for Denise Lewis sitting in the studio, probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my career, and I’ve jumped 1.98 (before). That topped everything. A little 14 metre shot put.”

Johnson-Thompson’s high jump was her highest clearance in five years, while it was also a season’s best 13.40 in the 100m hurdles.

Laura Muir and Georgia Bell both saw themselves through to Saturday’s 1500m final after securing top six finishes from the first semi-final.

Muir, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, was leading the pack with 300m remaining when Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon made her move, extending her lead as she stormed to the finish in 3:58.64.

British champion Bell overtook her team-mate in the last 100m to cross  in 3:59.49 as the second-fastest finisher behind the world record holder.

Muir was also passed by the United States’ Elle St Pierre and finished fourth in 3:59.83.

Revee Walcott-Nolan had fought back to earn a semi-final spot from the repechage round, but a personal best 3:58.08 was not enough after she finished ninth in heat two.