Commonwealth Games: Katarina Johnson-Thompson on Brink of Heptathlon Gold
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is on the brink of Commonwealth Games heptathlon gold with one event remaining.
The English athlete, 25, is 174 points clear of Canada’s Nina Schultz in the silver-medal position before the 800m.
She began day two of the event with a 126-point advantage and increased that lead by winning the long jump before it was reduced slightly in the javelin.
Schultz would have to beat Johnson-Thompson by about 14 seconds in the 800m (11:05 BST) to take gold.
Johnson-Thompson’s 800m personal best is two minutes 07.64 seconds, 11 seconds quicker than Schultz’s best.
Gold for the Liverpudlian would be her first global outdoor title.
She won the long jump with 6.50m, 31cm further than anyone else, and finished eighth in the javelin, one of her weaker events.
England’s Niamh Emerson, 18, is in fourth place overall, 109 points behind Australian Celeste Mucci but has an 800m personal best 16 seconds quicker than Mucci.
In the men’s 4x400m relay, defending champions England were knocked out after just 50m of the first leg of their heat when Matthew Hudson-Smith pulled up with a leg injury.
Team-mate Dwayne Cowan said: “It is very frustrating and I’m just sorry for Matt. He’s in really good shape so it was a good opportunity for us to get the gold. Our team was in good shape.
“There was something there for us, so that makes it even more disappointing.”
Zharnel Hughes, who was disqualified after winning the 200m on Thursday, helped England win their 4x100m relay heat to qualify for Saturday’s final.
Asked about his motivation to make up for his 200m disappointment, he replied: “It makes me very hungry now. The guys have been very supportive.
“I am giving my best for them, to be the best of my ability to help us win a medal. It would be very special to win a medal but we have to go out and execute it.”
Jamaica and South Africa also made it safely through the heats but Canada were disqualified for a late handover at the Carrara Stadium.
Courtesy : BBC
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