Katarina Johnson-Thompson secured a dramatic bronze medal in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, tying with American Taliyah Brooks on 6,581 points. The British athlete initially thought she had missed out when Brooks' name appeared first on the scoreboard, but her own name followed with a bronze symbol, marking the first tie in a global heptathlon.
The 32-year-old's medal came down to the final event, the 800m, where she needed to finish six seconds ahead of Brooks. Johnson-Thompson ran 2:07.38, while Brooks clocked a personal best of 2:13.17. After a tense wait for the official result, the tie was confirmed. 'I didn't celebrate until they actually put the medal around my neck,' Johnson-Thompson said.
The bronze was particularly emotional for Johnson-Thompson, who tore her calf at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago and had to withdraw. 'It holds so much emotion and to finish with a medal this time around I can't put into words the full circle moment,' she said. 'It just feels like I've rewritten a better story about this city.'
In other events, Britain's Max Burgin finished sixth in a men's 800m final won by Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a championship record of 1:41.86. The British relay teams struggled, with the women's 4x400m finishing last in their heat, the men's 4x100m dropping the baton, and the men's 4x400m only just qualifying for the final. Victoria Ohuruogu described the performance as a 'huge disappointment'.
