NO ONE SAW this finish coming.
The dialogue started changing 10 days before, when defending champ Nafi Thiam withdrew. That seemed to make Anna Hall a clear favorite. She led the world list by 432 points with her 6988 victory at Götzis over Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the ’19 WC champ still climbing back from a brutal calf injury at the ’21 Olympics.
What few knew was that Hall contemplated withdrawing as well after hyperextending a knee in early August. It wouldn’t be long before that injury affected her performance.
100 Hurdles: After the start was delayed an hour due to rain, the American trio of Taliyah Brooks (12.79), Hall (12.97) and Chari Hawkins (13.04 PR) led the way with solid races. KJT was subpar at 13.50 — her pre-Tokyo PR is 13.09 and she had run 13.34 in July — but nothing disastrous. Similarly down was Anouk Vetter (silver medalist in both Eugene and Tokyo) at 13.42; she ran 13.09 in the Olympics.
High Jump: The jumping surface had dried out but almost everyone was off PR form. KJT and Germany’s Sophie Weißenberg were highest at 6-1¼ (1.86), the latter with a PR. KJT needed all three attempts in producing her second-best clearance since her Tokyo injury.
Hall had a scary moment at 6-1¼ (1.86) when her legs appeared to give out on her final attempt as she crashed into the bar. She exited the pit on her own but gingerly but later walked without a limp. Her best of 6-0 (1.83) was notably down from her 6-3½ (1.92) PR in Götzis. Hall took over the lead at 2145 — Brooks (2136) and Hawkins (2134) following — as KJT was 41 points down at 2104. Vetter was well back at 1929 in 18th.
Shot: It was PR time for 7 athletes including all 3 Americans — Hall actually upping her best on every attempt to an eventual 47-8½ (14.54). KJT was solid at 44-9 (13.64) but dropped to 5th in the standings, 101 points behind Hall.
200 Meters: KJT edged Hall, 23.48–23.56. Hall held the Day 1 lead at 3998, 93 points up on KJT’s 3905 as Hawkins (3900) and Brooks (3888) followed, both well ahead of PR pace.
Long Jump: The race for gold tightened up. KJT took the lead by 19 points with her best post-Tokyo hept LJ of 21-5½ (6.54), while Hall — now with her left calf wrapped — managed just 20-3¾ (6.19), which was more than a foot off the 21-5½ she leapt at Götzis.
The race for bronze was also getting interesting but unfortunately would not include Brooks, who fouled three times on very long efforts. Hawkins remained in 3rd (4799) and was one of 6 projecting within a tight 90 points of each other.
Javelin: KJT unleashed a big PR 151-4 (46.14), increasing her lead to 26 points — but it was now over Vetter, whose event-leading 195-5 (59.57) had jumped her all the way up from 7th. Hall dropped to 3rd, 43 points down after a comethrough 147-3 (44.88) final effort. Hawkins got her third PR of the meet (150-2/45.77) but dropped to 5th. Still, she was among the next 6 projecting now within 70 points of each other.
800 Meters: KJT’s lead of 43 points over Hall equated to about 3.3 seconds in the 800. That was within range for Hall, whose PR (2:02.97 from Götzis) was 4.29 seconds (65 points) better than the Briton’s (a pre-Tokyo 2:07.26). Hall went out hard as expected, with KJT next a few steps behind. Both were aggressive — Hall splitting 58.59, KJT 60.47 — and neither faltered. Hall’s 2:04.09 — a meet record — was 1.54 seconds ahead of KJT, who closed strong on the homestretch for a huge PR 2:05.63.
The final tally: KJT 6740, Hall 6720. It was the Briton’s highest total since winning gold at Doha ’19. Hall improved her WC bronze from last year to silver but afterwards felt both “heartbroken and thankful.”
Vetter (6501) finished ahead of local hero Xénia Krizsán (6479) for the bronze, and Hawkins was 8th in 6366, a PR by 123 points.
“This is the culmination of so much hard work,” said the winner. “Today I knew if I believed in myself I could do it, and I had two great performances. In the 800 I wasn’t thinking anything at all — I was just staring at the back of her legs thinking, ‘Don’t let her get away.’”
WOMEN’S HEPTATHLON RESULTS
(August 19–20)
1. Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GB) 6740
(13.50, 6-1¼/1.86, 44-9/13.64, 23.48, 21-5½/6.54, 151-4/46.14, 2:05.63);
2. Anna Hall (US) 6720 (non JJK: x, 6 A)
(12.97, 6-0/1.83, 47-8½/14.54, 23.56, 20-3¾/6.19, 147-3/44.88, 2:04.09);
3. Anouk Vetter (Neth) 6501
(13.42, 5-7¼/1.71, 51-7/15.72, 24.28, 19-8/5.99, 195-5/59.57, 2:20.49);
4. Xénia Krizsán (Hun) 6479
(13.48, 5-9¾/1.77, 46-6¼/14.18, 25.16, 20-8/6.30, 168-1/51.23, 2:08.93);
5. Emma Oosterwegel (Neth) 6464
(13.38, 5-7¼/1.71, 46-5½/14.16, 24.58, 20-3¾/6.19, 180-1/54.88, 2:12.06);
6. Noor Vidts (Bel) 6450
(13.33, 5-10¾/1.80, 47-3/14.40, 24.23, 20-10/6.35, 134-6/41.00, 2:09.48);
7. Sophie Weißenberg (Ger) 6438 PR
(13.58, 6-1¼/1.86, 45-10/13.97, 23.88, 20-¼/6.10, 159-2/48.51, 2:18.03);
8. Chari Hawkins (US) 6366 PR
(13.04, 6-0/1.83, 47-3/14.40, 24.38, 20-2½/6.16, 150-2/45.77, 2:22.53);
9. Saga Vanninen (Fin) 6289
(13.62, 5-10¾/1.80, 48-6/14.78, 24.71, 19-10¾/6.06, 158-6/48.32, 2:20.13);
10. Rita Nemes (Hun) 6232 PR
(13.63, 5-9¾/1.77, 42-6¾/12.97, 25.04, 20-7¾/6.29, 146-7/44.68, 2:10.65);
11. Sofie Dokter (Neth) 6192
(13.82, 5-10¾/1.80, 43-2¼/13.16, 23.89, 19-11¾/6.09, 145-10/44.46, 2:17.98);
12. Auriana Lazraq (Fra) 6179 PR
(13.62, 5-9¾/1.77, 44-2¾/13.48, 24.02, 19-8¾/6.01, 138-9/42.29, 2:14.25);
13. Kate O’Connor (Ire) 6145; 14. Vanessa Grimm (Ger) 6088; 15. Léonie Cambours (Fra) 5939; 16. Yekaterina Voronina (Uzb) 5922; 17. Sarah Lagger (Aut) 5910; 18. Esther Turpin (Fra) 5256;
… dnf—Martha Valeria (Col) 4937, Paulina Ligarska (Pol) 4852, Taliyah Brooks (US) 3888 (12.78, 5-10¾/1.80, 44-1½/13.45, 23.85, 3f), Carolin Schäfer (Ger) 2770, Annik Kälin (Swi) 1938.