One of these years, I am going to Gotzis! The multi-event at the end of May each year totally impresses, from the depth of the fields to the quality of the presentation to the knowledge of the audience.
This year, Damien Warner, Olympic champion, World Indoor Champion, and Katrina Johnson-Thompson, World Champion, Indoor & Outdoor, European Indoor champion, and second, European outdoor has had two tough years. KJT is going to Gotzis to show her fitness.
Damian Warner is one of the most articulate athletes in any discipline. Check out his convo with us at the World Champs in 2019, when he took Bronze, it is, well magnificent: https://www.runblogrun.com/2019/11/2019-doha-diary-doha-decathlon-presser.html#more
Damian Warner, 2021 Tokyo Olympian champion, decathlon, photo by World Athletics
Katrina Johnson-Thompson, WIC, pentathlon, photo by Getty Images for World Athletics
Warner and KJT
GOTZIS (AUT): Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson head the newly published start lists for the Hypomeeting in Goetzis this weekend (WA CE Tour Gold). Warner will be seeking his sixth consecutive and seventh overall title in the event, having set a Canadian record of 8995 there last year before improving to 9018 in Tokyo. Simon Ehammer, who won world indoor heptathlon silver this year, will be looking to improve on his PB of 8354. World champion Niklas Kaul heads a strong list of German entries, including Kai Kazmirek and European champion Arthur Abele. World silver medallist Maicel Uibo, Pierce Lepage, and Lindon Victor are other challengers. Johnson-Thompson is looking to prove her form after an injury-blighted 2021 and withdrawing late from the World Indoors. Olympic silver medallist Anouk Vetter will compete in her first combined events of the year. Yorgelis Rodriguez, who scored 6742 at this meeting in 2018, and Olympic bronze medallist Emma Oosterwegel add to a quality line-up. Adrianna Sulek, Kendell Williams, and Holly Mills, who were second, third, and fourth respectively at the World Indoors hope to start their outdoor seasons in the same vein. Laura Ikauniece, who set a Latvian record of 6815 here in 2017, hopes to complete her first heptathlon since 2019.
