Johnson-Thompson shares heptathlon bronze in dramatic conclusion

Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson captured an emotional fourth global heptathlon medal in unprecedented circumstances as she shared world bronze with American Taliyah Brooks in a dramatic concluding 800m in Tokyo.

Competing at the stadium where she suffered Olympic heartbreak four years ago, Johnson-Thompson, 32, did not know how to react as she continued her late-career resurgence by making a third consecutive major podium.

Needing to beat Brooks by about six seconds to leapfrog her rival on to the podium, Johnson-Thompson wore a puzzled look as it was confirmed they had finished on exactly the same points.

But the tears began to flow when her name – and Brooks’ – appeared lit up in bronze on the big screen, tied on 6,581 points to become the first heptathletes to split a world medal.

American Anna Hall claimed a breakthrough world title triumph and Ireland’s Kate O’Connor held on for a historic silver, after three-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam withdrew from the competition when ranked eighth earlier on Saturday.

“I have no words. I’m still in a bit of disbelief,” Johnson-Thompson said.

“I’ve done this so many times it doesn’t get any easier. If anything, I had the least confidence coming into this. It really does mean the world to me.”

It was Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s third medal of the championships, which end on Sunday, following women’s 200m silver for Amy Hunt and men’s 1500m silver for Jake Wightman.

While Johnson-Thompson insisted she was not looking for redemption on her return to the Japanese capital, where her Games were cruelly ended by a torn calf during the 200m, the significance of her achievements since remains inextricably linked to the journey it has taken to get there.

At her lowest moment, Johnson-Thompson feared her career was over. Little more than three years have passed since nights like this could not have felt further away.

She has completed a remarkable turnaround since, regaining her world title in Budapest in 2023 before ending her long wait for a first Olympic medal at Paris 2024.

Armed here with the freedom with which that journey back to the top has gifted her, she was able to once again celebrate medal success at her seventh World Championships – although not in a scenario she could have ever envisaged.

“I’ve been through it in this stadium,” Johnson-Thompson said.

“It holds so much emotion and to finish the 200m yesterday meant the world.

“To finish with a medal this time around, I can’t put into words the full-circle moment I’ve just been through.”

No stranger to close finishes, Johnson-Thompson was just 36 points away from gold at last summer’s Olympics – equating to roughly a two-second difference in the 800m.

Following a relative underperformance in the javelin, where her best of 41.91m ranked 16th overall, she was aware her fortunes would once again come down to the finest margins in the two-lap finale.

With O’Connor’s superb javelin personal best of 53.06m ensuring the silver was hers to lose behind runaway leader Hall, Brooks became Johnson-Thompson’s priority – aware she had the superior personal best by 8.5 seconds.

Although she succeeded in distancing her rival in the closing stages, clocking two minutes 07.38 seconds, Brooks set up a tense wait after holding on to cross the line 5.39 seconds later.

And so while Hall and O’Connor could begin their celebrations, Brooks and Johnson-Thompson were initially left shrugging their shoulders – before both were eventually awarded the prize they ultimately sought.

“It’s been physically and mentally exhausting. It’s hard to get yourself up for the fight again knowing how hard it is,” Johnson-Thompson said.

“I said last year, as long as I’m competitive I’ll be here. In 2016, I remember I said ‘this is the last time you’ll see me’.

“I say this when I win and I say it when I lose, give me a month off and I’ll be asking when training is.”

Four-time global heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill said on BBC TV: “You can see the emotions have kicked in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it where the scores are the same. The relief she must feel must be so huge.

“We all knew she would come and fight in the 800m. She will always push herself out of her comfort zone. She fought and that’s what you want, you want every athlete to come out here and perform and that’s what Katarina always does.”

Hall topped the standings with 6,888 points, ahead of O’Connor who won Ireland’s first global outdoor medal in the multi-events with 6,714.

Britain’s Jade O’Dowda finished eighth with 6,391 points but team-mate Abigail Pawlett withdrew before the penultimate javelin event, having suffered a nasty fall during Friday’s opening 100m hurdles.

Great Britain’s women’s 4x100m relay team, who claimed Olympic silver last year, progressed to Sunday night’s final by finishing third in their heat.

Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, Desiree Henry and Success Eduan ran 41.88 seconds to finish behind Olympic champions USA and Germany, and have 200m medallist Amy Hunt to come in.

However, a failed handover between Jona Efoloko and Eugene Amo-Dadzie meant there will be no British representation in the men’s 4x100m final.

The men’s 4x400m team finished third to also reach their final – but the women’s quartet missed out after they finished eighth in their race.

Great Britain’s Max Burgin ran a personal best but came up short in a men’s 800m final, won by Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a championship record time.

Burgin, 23, clocked 1:42.29 to close in on Sebastian Coe’s 44-year-old national record of 1:41.73 – but that was only good enough for sixth place.

Wanyonyi took victory in 1:41.86, ahead of Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati and Canada’s 2023 champion Marco Arop.

GB head into the final day of competition 22nd in the medal table, three places above the Republic of Ireland, having finished seventh with a record-equalling 10 medals two years ago.

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter-Bell will hope to achieve medals in the women’s 800m final, while George Mills (men’s 5,000m) and Morgan Lake (women’s high jump) will also hope to add to the team’s tally.