Katarina’s eye on record
KATARINA Johnson-thompson believes a world record is almost within her grasp after coming within 30 points of setting a new benchmark in Glasgow.
The Liverpudlian took advantage of Belgian Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam’s absence to claim gold at the European Indoor Championships.
Her score of 4,983 points was the fourth-highest total in pentathlon history and 252 clear of team-mate Niamh Emerson, who picked up silver.
It was Johnson-thompson’s second European gold to add to her World Indoor Championships title and she now feels she is ready to push the event’s limits.
She finished Friday’s morning session with a lead of 118 points, helped by a personal best of 13.15m in the shot put, her weakest discipline.
A slip on her final long-jump – the fourth event – cost Johnson-thompson the chance of making a bid for Nataliya Dobrynska’s world record of 5,013 points.
But having dominated the final 800m race to seal victory, she believes she is on the right track.
She said: “I think a world record is definitely within my grasp.
“It’s always so close. It was one second in Prague (when she set a British record of 5,000 points at the European Indoors in 2015) and then two seconds last night.
“I wish I ran the 800m I did last night in Prague, that would have been easier.
“It’s definitely something I can achieve. You can see it in my performances but it is very hard to put a series like that together and make no mistakes in five events.
“Unfortunately last night, the long jump let me down but I’m still very happy with my score.”
Thiam should be back from a calf injury to renew her rivalry with Johnson-thompson over seven disciplines at the outdoor World Championships in Doha this year.
But while the 26-year-old feels she is on course for a special season, she is refusing to look too far ahead.
“Doha is so far away,” said Johnsonthompson. “The last few weeks I’ve just been focusing on these championships in Glasgow first and foremost.
“Even now I’ve got this event out the way, Doha still seems a long way off. It doesn’t start until October and my next focus will be my next heptathlon.”