• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home British Athletics

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Moving in the right direction

Stuart WeirbyStuart Weir
August 5, 2022
0
Birmingham 2022 Diary: Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Moving in the right direction

Katrina Johnson-Thompson defended her CG 2018 hep title with her CG 2022 win! photo by James Rhodes

0 0
0
SHARES
45
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Careers for athletes are not linear equations. They have highs, lows, and sometimes, plateaus. Stuart Weir, the senior writer for Europe,  helps us put Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s trials and tribulations in perspective. She just defended her CG title from Gold Coast 2018. 

KJT Moving in the right direction

RelatedPosts

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

Kipyegon 3:50.37 missed WR by 0.3 at Herculis EBS Meeting/Monaco DL

Monaco Diamond League, Meeting Herculis EBS, complete results, 10 August 2022

Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s victory in the Commonwealth Games with 6,377 points will not exactly have her rivals on the world stage quaking, but it represents good news and hopefully brings to an end a difficult period in her career.  In 2019, she won the world championship in Doha with 6,981 points, finally fulfilling the promise which had seen her come close at previous championships where she had not quite managed to deliver across all disciplines.

Katrina Johnson-Thompson, photo by World Athletics

I wrote in 2019: “In 2018, KJT was World Indoor and Commonwealth Champion as well as European silver medallist. She has had the potential to medal at a global event for some time, but it just never quite worked out.  In the 2015 World Championships, she was in second place when she had three fouls in the long jump – her strongest event. For the record, she disputed one of the fouls, which was certainly marginal at best.  She was sixth in the Rio Olympics and fifth in the 2017 World Championships, let down by a poor high jump, another of her really strong events”.

In 2016, she made a brave decision to leave Mike Holmes, who had coached her since 2008, to join Bertrand Valcin’s group in Southern France partly because she wanted to train alongside Kevin Mayer. When Valcin accepted a senior role with French Track and Field, his contract precluded coaching any athletes other than French, leaving KJT without a coach. She opted for Petros Kyprianou in Florida, only for that relationship to end abruptly this season. Recently she returned to the UK, where she now divides her time between Loughborough and her native Liverpool, saying that the environment in the USA “just wasn’t working for me out there, which is a shame. But ultimately, I have to do what’s right for me, and I believe this is what it is.”

Katrina Johnson-Thompson, heptathlon, photo by World Athletics

She ruptured an Achilles tendon in late 2020, recovering sufficiently to make the Olympics but ruining any real hope she had of adding an Olympic title to her resume.  In the Tokyo Olympics, she was unable to finish the competition, pulling up in the 200m.

Speaking to the British media before Oregon, she said: “It’s difficult because the Achilles rupture was on my left ankle, which is my take-off leg for high jump and long jump. “High jump, I don’t feel like it’s been too affected; I’ve still got spring there because you just stick your leg out. But the long jump is the main point in which I’m finding it difficult to get back to those long jumps, which ultimately put together a big score for me.

Katerina Johnson-Thompson, photo by England Athletics

“That being said, the heptathlon can be put together in so many different ways. I feel like my speed is back, and I hope with age comes good power in the shot put and the javelin as well. If certain events get stronger, I could be close. But I’m realistic about what I can do right now. I’m not striving for 7,000 points this year; it’s the 2018 mentality where I just want to get the performances out and get the medals, rather than the points.”

Comparing the 2022 version with 2019, she said: “I’ve been working so hard, and this is the longest run I’ve had with no injury leading into a championship for as long as I can remember, but as always, we’ll see. It’s a sport; you never know. That’s where my head’s at right now.

Katerina Johnson-Thompson defended her CG heptathlon, photo by England Athletics

“Going into Doha [2019], I felt like I was in the best shape of my life; I was consistently putting things together in training and in competition. I did have confidence in my ability.

Right now, it’s been shifted to the fact that I have a new coach. Different points are taking priority right now. I feel like it’s definitely a different mindset, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t get a good score.

“As athletes, we adapt, and we change under the circumstances. Success is something that is individual to each person, and success for me would be getting a good score out this summer, doing the two competitions, and being proud of what I’ve put out. I’m definitely in a different mindset. I’m a completely different athlete.”

Her three heptathlons this year have been:

Götzis seventh 6174

World Championships eighth 6222

Commonwealth first 6377

She is moving in the right direction, and as she said this week: “Hopefully, this will be a stepping stone for me like it was in 2018, and we’ll hope for better things next year”.

Katerina Johnson-Thompson, photo by England Athletics

Author

  • Stuart Weir

    Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

    View all posts

Previous Post

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Five, Day 5

Next Post

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Five, Day Six

Stuart Weir

Stuart Weir

Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

Similar Post

2022 Munich Diary: Final Entries for Munich 2022 European Athletics Champs (by season’s best and country)
European Athletics

2022 Munich Diary: Final Entries for Munich 2022 European Athletics Champs (by season’s best and country)

August 13, 2022
Defending Champions Set to Return to the  2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon  Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field
World Marathon Majors

Defending Champions Set to Return to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

August 13, 2022
World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6
World Marathon Majors

World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!
Continental Tour Gold

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

August 12, 2022
Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6
World Marathon Majors

Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
The amazing duel between Eilish McColgan and Irene Cheptai in the women’s 10,000m final
Cross Country

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day Five

August 12, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

July 5, 2022
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

July 17, 2022
Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

July 19, 2022
Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

July 7, 2022

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

4
Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

3
2022 Munich Diary: Final Entries for Munich 2022 European Athletics Champs (by season’s best and country)

2022 Munich Diary: Final Entries for Munich 2022 European Athletics Champs (by season’s best and country)

August 13, 2022
Defending Champions Set to Return to the  2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon  Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

Defending Champions Set to Return to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

August 13, 2022
World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

August 12, 2022

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Geoff Wightman, a man with many talents…

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent Tweets

RunBlogRun Follow

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.

RunBlogRun
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
22h

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day Five , by RunBlogRun, ...https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/08/2022-runblogrun-summer-cross-country-mileage-program-week-six-day-five.html , #crosscountry, #trainingtips, #scottishathletics, #eilishmccolgan, @EilishMccolgan, @ASICSEurope,

Reply on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Retweet on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Like on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Twitter 1558150289122725893
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
22h

Really liked this tweet. @EilishMccolgan took two medals at the #commonwealthgames2022. Her first in the 10,000m was gold, and her second was in the 5,000m with a silver! This was her 4th CG games! ...@birmingham2022, @ASICSeurope

Team Scotland @Team_Scotland

GOLD! 🥇

What a run from Eilish McColgan to win the Commonwealth Games 10,000m title 32 years after her mum! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

And a Games record too!!!

#TeamScot #TimeForHeroes
...#B2022

Reply on Twitter 1558142734199754752 Retweet on Twitter 1558142734199754752 Like on Twitter 1558142734199754752 2 Twitter 1558142734199754752
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
23h

Repost: BROOKS: Marathon season is almost here. Get the workout ideas, training plans, tips, and everything else you need to hit your goals at our Run Happy blog. https://bit.ly/3pkX1nK,
#runhappy, ...#brooksrunning,

Reply on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Retweet on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Like on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Twitter 1558128422676828166
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
12 Aug

Time for #coffeewithLarry! Don't miss it! 8.30 AM Pacific! #europeanathletics, #trackandfieldlife,

Reply on Twitter 1558113171906277383 Retweet on Twitter 1558113171906277383 Like on Twitter 1558113171906277383 3 Twitter 1558113171906277383
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
12 Aug

Marie-Josee Ta Lou’s perseverance in a difficult season gets rewarded with an African Record, by Deji Ogeyingbo, ...https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/08/marie-josee-ta-lous-perseverance-in-difficult-season-gets-rewarded-with-an-african-record.html , #mariejoseetalou, #IvoryCoast, #CotedIvoire, #athleticsafrica,
@deji_oges, #WCHOregon22, #100meters, #200meters,

Reply on Twitter 1557943782007443456 Retweet on Twitter 1557943782007443456 Like on Twitter 1557943782007443456 6 Twitter 1557943782007443456
Load More...
Next Post
Birmingham 2022 Diary: Mary Moraa’s strange tactics pay off in the 800 meters!

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Five, Day Six

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist