By Amy Tennery
PARIS (Reuters) – Britain’s world title holder Katarina Johnson-Thompson led the women’s heptathlon through the first two events on Thursday, with Belgium’s twice Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam and American Anna Hall second and third in the standings.
Johnson-Thompson is aiming to banish bitter memories of Tokyo, where her Olympic campaign ended with a torn calf muscle, and was second in her 100 metres hurdles heat in 13.40 seconds before clearing 1.92 metres in the high jump on the third try.
Thiam (13.56) finished fifth in her 100 metres hurdles heat but took full advantage of her best event as she did not knock down any bars to clear 1.92 metres in the high jump.
The 2023 world silver medallist Hall has her own Olympic demons to banish, after she fractured a bone in her foot at the U.S. trials three years ago.
Hall put on a confident display to reach a season’s best 1.89 in the high jump after producing 13.36 in the hurdles.
Johnson-Thompson had 2,197 points at the end of the morning, 24 points ahead of Thiam, while Hall was on 2,164, with the shot put and 200m next on the evening programme.
Poland’s Adrianna Sulek-Schubert was eight hundredths of a second clear of Johnson-Thompson in the hurdles and ended the morning 10th’ She had her first child in February and only returned to competition two months ago.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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