Heptathlete setting goals for return

Great Britain’s Niamh Emerson has targeted a global breakthrough, despite injury and the coronavirus pandemic leaving her without a major event for almost two years.

The world Under-20 heptathlon champion is aiming to build on a silver at the European Indoor Championships and Commonwealth Games bronze medal.

Emerson missed last year’s World Championships after partially tearing her patella tendon at Gotzis last May, which remains her last meet.

She has recovered but the pandemic has decimated the athletics calendar, postponing the Olympics and World Indoors until next year, while the European Championships in Paris were cancelled.

The World Indoors is now scheduled for March 2021 in Nanjing – 22 months after Emerson suffered her injury – and it is now a concrete goal.

“I want to go to the World Indoors, pick up a medal and then go to the Olympics and place as high as possible,” said Emerson, who won European Indoor silver behind Katarina Johnson-Thomson last year.

“The aim for 2021 is to medal in Nanjing. I really like pentathlons and hopefully I can really build on my European silver, but also go to the Olympics, place as high as I can and enjoy it.

“I haven’t competed in so long, it’s bizarre and I’ve got used to not competing but at the same time I’ve just got on with things.”

The Tokyo Olympics was postponed for 12 months in March but Emerson is one who can benefit from the delay.

“It is upsetting but I couldn’t be more grateful for the time,” said the Loughborough University student.

“I spent the whole year rehabbing, I had to, and I don’t doubt I would have been in the best shape possible but I was playing catch-up from the start.

“I wasn’t training for the Olympics, I was training to be able to compete. I’m training to perform now. I have a far better opportunity to be in really good shape.

“I wouldn’t have been in the same shape this year. I feel really hopeful for next year.”

Niamh Emerson: Has not competed since May 2019.