GÖTZIS, AUSTRIA, May 31–June 01 — Anna Hall set a meet-record 7032 in the heptathlon as the venerable Hypo Meeting celebrated its historic 50th edition. The 24-year-old Hall’s ascent into the 7000-point club lifted her to =No. 2 all-time in the 7-eventer with the =No. 7score in history. Only Jackie Joyner-Kersee has ever scored more.
Hall was no stranger to this wonderful Austrian haven of combined events, having set her PR 6988 here to win in ’23.
She started modestly with a 13.19 seasonal best in the hurdles that put her 66 points down on her PR score, which included her still-standing PR of 12.75. That put her in 6th, with fellow Americans Erin Marsh and Michelle Atherley leading the way at 12.93 (a PR for Marsh).
Things changed in the high jump as Atherley, last year’s Götzis winner, struggled and cleared just 5-6 (1.68), two bars below Hall’s opening height of 5-8½ (1.74). Hall was flawless until needing two attempts to get over 6-2¼ (1.89), then jumped solo for third-attempt clearances over 6-3½ (1.92) and 6-4¾ (1.95) — the former tying her PR and the latter breaking the hept AR set by JJK (part of her then-WR at the ’88 Olympic Trials) and equaled by Sharon Day in ’09.
Hall’s lead was 163 points; that grew to 210 after a PR 48-9 (14.86) in the shot, her 38 points ahead of PR pace (a projected 7026). After a modest 22.37 in the 200, she led by 219 at 4161, 11 down on PR pace.
Day 2 started rocky with a first-attempt run-through in the long jump. She followed with a 21-1½ (6.44), her second-best in a heptathlon behind the 21-5½ (6.54) she leapt in Götzis ’23, leaving her 43 points down on PR pace.
Her opening javelin effort looked close to landing flat but was ruled legal — it was a PR at 151-5 (46.16), putting her 17 points up on PR pace at a projected 7005.
That meant the ’23 World Champs silver medalist didn’t need to match her 800 PR of 2:02.97 — the hept AR — to surpass 7000 points, but Hall made sure it wasn’t even close. She blazed to a big lead from the start and clocked 58.34 for the first lap. She passed 600 in 1:29.65 before crossing the finish in 2:01.23 to take down the ’87 hept WR of 2:01.84 by France’s Nadine Debois.
“I haven’t run an 800 this year so I was a bit scared,’ said Hall. “I knew I was fit, but I didn’t know how I’d feel in the race. When I came through the first lap in 58 seconds, I was like, ‘Oh no.’ But this is what you train for and thankfully I was able to hold on. I’m really pleased with it.
“It means so much to break the meeting record on the 50th anniversary of this competition,” she added. “To have all these past legends here — some of them met with my family, some gave me words of encouragement — makes it all the more special.”
Behind Hall, PRs were set by Sofie Dokter of the Netherlands at 6576 (also a WC Q) and Colombia’s Martha Araujo (a South American Record 6475). Atherley — who owns a Wild Card to Tokyo via winning last year’s WA Combined Events Tour — recovered from her HJ mishap for 4th in 6425, 40 points off her PR 6465.
Americans Allie Jones (6367) and Erin Marsh (6171) also registered PRs by more than 100 points.
GÖTZIS WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Anna Hall (US) 7032 PR (WL, AL) (=2, =7 W; 2, 7 A) (13.19, 6-4¾/1.95, 48-9/14.86, 23.37 [4161–1], 21-1½/6.44, 151-5/46.16, 2:01.23 Hept WR [2871]);
2. Sofie Dokter (Neth) 6576 PR (13.50, 6-1¼/1.86, 46-6/14.17, 23.46 [3942–2], 21-¾/6.42, 136-11/41.75, 2:10.88 [2634]);
3. Martha Araujo (Col) 6475 NR (13.32, 5-8½/1.74, 45-5¼/13.85, 24.50 [3697–9], 21-9/6.63, 162-2/49.42, 2:15.89 [2778]);
4. Michelle Atherley (US) 6425 (12.93, 5-6/1.68, 43-5/13.23, 23.59 [3728–8], 20-2¼/6.15, 149-6/45.57, 2:05.81 [2697]);
5. Annik Kälin (Swi) 6395 (13.05, 5-9¾/1.77, 44-11/13.69, 23.42 [3868–3], 22-2½/6.77, 130-10/39.88, 2:24.26 [2527]);
6. Allie Jones (US) 6367 PR (13.25, 5-8½/1.74, 42-11¾/13.10, 23.57 [3746–7], 20-10½/6.36, 130-8/39.82, 2:07.94 [2621]);
7. Serina Riedel (Ger) 6322 PR; 8. Abigail Pawlett (GB) 6315 PR; 9. María Vicente (Spa) 6288; 10. Sarolta Kriszt (Hun) 6225 PR; 11. Erin Marsh (US) 6171 PR;3;
… dnf—Timara Chapman (US) 5197 (13.52, 6-0/1.83, 40-4¾/12.31, 24.60, 20-6¼/6.25, 119-10/36.54), Adrianna Sułek-Schubert (Pol) 4474 (14.18, 5-9¾/1.77, 46-1½/14.06, 24.09, 19-3¼/5.87, nm), Xénia Krizsán (Hun) 4360 (13.81, 5-6/1.68, 45-6¼/13.87, 24.89, 19-7½/5.98).
