Massive leap of faith gives Kat hope for future

KATARINA JohnsonThompson is sitting on a refurbished red doubledecker London bus a few hundred metres from the Olympic Stadium, discussing the evening of Super Saturday in 2012 when she finished 15th in the heptathlon.

It was while doing a group lap of honour led by a triumphant Jessica Ennis-Hill that she resolved to be among the medals herself in four years time. Nobody present with a decent knowledge of heptathlon would have scoffed at the idea.

Already a world junior champion, she was significantly better than Ennis-Hill had been at the same age and had come within a whisker of beating the junior pentathlon record held by peerless Swedish champion Carolina Kluft.

It was little surprise when EnnisHill said she would retire as soon as Johnson-Thompson (below) began to catch up.

At a shade over 6ft — nine inches taller than Ennis-Hill — history suggests she is the perfect build, too. The next year, at the World Championships in Moscow, she was on the way to recognising her potential, finishing fifth in the heptathlon, at just 20 years of age.

There have been reminders of her potential greatness since; pentathlon gold at the European Indoor Championships in Prague last year and victory in Gotzis, Austria, in 2014, the biggest meeting for multi-eventers outside major championships.

But she has not bettered that performance in the event and her score in Gotzis this year was 6,304 points, more than 300 points down. Injuries and knee surgery have hampered her training and she appears to suffer from mental fragility, something she would dispute. Those in the know say if Johnson-Thompson could stitch together the individual performances she is capable of, then she would canter to Rio gold. It is a caveat she is fed up hearing.

‘I don’t want that to be my legacy,’ she insisted. ‘I want to put it all together. I think about that and it’s why I am trying to do everything I can to do it on the day.

‘It’s frustrating I haven’t been able to so far and I have to develop patience towards it.

‘I’ve been waiting to compete in Rio for four years, so I want to be able to go through each event and say: “OK, tick that off, couldn’t have done any better in that. Next event, OK that’s a personal best or a season’s best”. I want to lose the description promising.’

Johnson-Thompson admits she did not expect her career to cross that of Ennis-Hill, who at the age of 30, and after giving birth, has made a remarkable comeback to justify being favourite to defend her Olympic title.

She was a surprise winner of the World Championships last year with a relatively modest score of 6,669 points and even notched a long-jump personal best on her way to winning the heptathlon in Ratingen last month.

‘It surprised me to see her do a personal best,’ admitted JohnsonThompson. ‘And it spurred me on a little bit to know I now need to do PBs in the shot put and javelin because people are catching up in my good events.

‘Whoever wins the Olympics now will be on a good score. It won’t be won by default and that’s good for the event. I think 6,800 or 6,900 points will be needed.

‘Going into 2012, Jess was the best and I wasn’t scared to compete there because I knew her personally. When I was coming through she was already established. It’s not like we were coming up together and battling all the time. That’s why I don’t think we have that rivalry.

‘I have a huge amount of respect for her and what she has achieved but now I want to win.’ A shift in mentality from the young pretender to a genuine challenger for gold has been required.

‘Yeah, I think I can beat her,’ she said. ‘I just want to beat whoever comes second.’

The giggles and smile hide the steely focus. Four years ago she was out to have fun — but now it is strictly business.

‘Last time, I was doing everything, running around, trying clothes on,’ said Johnson-Thompson. ‘This time, I have to be sensible and conserve my energy. I just want to get my kit and go.

‘In 2012, going to get my kit was like winning. This year, it was part of the process. My change of mindset happened in 2013 in Moscow. When I came fifth, it was an eye-opener. I finished day one and I was in with a chance of a medal but I missed out.’ Canadian Brianne Theisen-Eaton, who tops the world rankings, is Johnson-Thompson’s toughest opposition after Ennis-Hill.

KATARINA JohnsonThompson competes in the high jump and long jump at the Anniversary Games next weekend. Tickets for the Muller Anniversary Games are available from £20. More finish-line tickets have now been released. Visit www. britishathletics.org.uk

‘I HAVE HUGE RESPECT FOR JESS BUT I BELIEVE I CAN BEAT HER ’