Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon 200m at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (© Getty Images)
As expected, the heptathlon competition moves to its overnight rest in British command.
Jessica Ennis-Hill made clear progress on her Gotzis series, clocking a 23.42 season’s best in the 200m for second place in the fastest heat. The 29-year-old is now much closer to the gold medal fight, having scored 4005 points after four events.
But because her javelin is not quite at the same level as the other medal contenders, that will decide a lot during day two.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson stormed to second place overall with an eye-catching 23.08 season’s best in the 200m. The 22-year-old is good on the second day and a lot has to happen if the others want to push her off the medals. She is a good long jumper with a best of 6.93m and has leapt 6.70m within a heptathlon. She has already come up with two personal bests and two season’s bests during the first day.
Dutchwoman Nadine Visser is in third place with 3871 points after a 23.78 200m clocking and is 58 points ahead of her best of the season, 6467 points in Gotzis. She is close to the medals with team-mate Nadine Broersen, who is also going for a medal, despite being only in seventh position after four events with 3780 points and a 25.41 run in the 200m. The 25-year-old has thrown 53.65m in the javelin this season and is decent in both the long jump and 800m.
In fourth place is Brianne Theisen-Eaton and 200m was another event where the Canadian was far off her Gotzis result, finishing in 23.94 for 3865 points at the moment. The 2013 world silver medallist has to do well in the long jump. She jumped 6.72m in Gotzis earlier this season and that kind of mark would keep her in contention for the gold medal.
She is, however, already 166 points behind her season’s best series of 6808, while Johnson-Thompson’s series right now suggests she could score a bit more than the Canadian’s projected mark.
Ukrainian Anastasiya Mokhnyuk is fifth with 3837 points and Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium is sixth with 3795 points, but both will likely move down the rankings during the second day. Coming up will be Germans Carolin Schafer, now ninth with 3751 points, and Claudia Rath who is currently in 11th with 3736. These two team-mates are headed for the top eight during day two.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
