HIGHS AFTER THE LOWS FOR KJT
Johnson-Thompson in high jump final after heptathlon flop
SHE banished her high jump demons last night but Katarina JohnsonThompson was left to ponder what might have been.
The Liverpudlian’s medal hopes crashed and burned in the heptathlon after she endured a disaster in the discipline in which she holds the British record.
But four days on she returned to the London Stadium and proved a point by sailing into the final of the individual event.
“I didn’t want to leave the stadium in those terms with the high jump,” said KJT, who went from potentially winning the heptathlon to finishing an also-ran when she could clear only 1.80m.
“So I’m glad I came back and proved to myself more than anyone it was a freak accident and I CAN jump.”
Gone was Sunday’s uncertainty when an athlete whose 1.98m leap in Rio last year set a national best looked like she was new to the discipline. “I’m not doing it to try and rectify the heptathlon,” she added.
“It was just one of those things where if you fall off a bike you’ve got to just get back on it straight away.”
Not until 1.89m did she knock over the bar, but the 24-year-old recovered to sail over 1.92 and join team-mate Morgan Lake in Saturday’s final.
Laura Muir, shattered to have been run out of the 1500m medals, also bounced back to book herself another medal shot in the 5,000m.
The Scot was devastated to lose bronze in the final stride on Monday and worked so hard to earn another medal chance that she collapsed in a heap at the finish.
“That was long!” gasped Muir after her first outdoor 5,000m of the year. “I ran as hard as I could, but that was fast. I’ve been looking at the times of heats from previous championships and that’s the fastest ever.”
Muir, 24, who clocked 14min 59.34sec, added: “I took a day to think about the 1500m and after that put it behind me.
“I watched the race back, talked about it with my coach and my family and put it into perspective.
“At the end of the day, fourth in the world is bloody good.
“It’s the best I’ve ever achieved in a global final.”
Muir will be joined in the final by 26-year-old Eilish McColgan, who knocked five seconds off her lifetime best.