Katarina Johnson-Thompson soars to lead prestigious Götzis Hypo-meeting

Katarina Johnson-Thompson training in Montpelier. The heptathlete has been revitalised since moving there in December.Photograph: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images for London 2017

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is not yet confident of speaking more than a word or two of French in public, but the other lessons she has learned since her move to Montpellier last December are already paying dividends. After four events of the prestigious Hypomeeting Johnson-Thompson leads a stellar field of heptathletes with 4,059 points, her best ever day one performance, and appears on course for a massive personal best.

But the 24-year-old was not the only one to take advantage of the lightning fast new track in Gotzis and temperatures that soared into the 80s. The Olympic champion, Nafissatou Thiam from Belgian, set two personal bests and equalled another to sit just three points behind in second, while the German Carolin Schafer hit four PBs to be six points back in third.

It is the first time in heptathlon history that three athletes have been over 4,050 on the opening day, and it is all set up for an enthralling finale on Sunday, with Johnson-Thompson having the edge on her rivals in the long jump and 800m, but knowing that she is significantly worse than them in the javelin.

“I honestly didn’t expect to be leading,” she admitted afterwards. “I’m surprised at the shape that I’m in because I didn’t feel like I was in top form coming into this so I’m realy happy. I want to stay competitive on Sunday but I also just want to return to how I was kid, just enjoying it.”

On the eve of the event Johnson-Thompson had stressed that she was setting her sights low. Rather than targeting a PB, she merely want to fall in love again with the heptathlon after two years blighted by injuries and savage failures at the world championships and Olympic Games. Deep down, though, she knew the work she had put in with the highly respected Bertrand Volcin and his coaching group was making a difference. But she didn’t know whether those French lessons would remain robust in competition.

She need not have worried. It helped that she started well, running a PB of 13.31 in the 100m hurdles for a score of 1,081 points, despite clipping three hurdles. As she saw the time she put her hand over her mouth in shock before a huge smile broke out. It wouldn’t be only one of the day.

Next was the high jump. In Rio, Johnson-Thompson and Thiam had enjoyed an epic battle, both setting PBs as they cleared 1.98m, and their rematch here in Gotzis was nearly as thrilling.

Johnson-Thompson was initially flawless. Utilising a new seven-step run up rather than her usual nine, she cleared 1.80m, 1.83m, 1.86m and 1.89m easily on her first attempts. Thiam, too, scooted over the bar with ease until the two of them were the only ones left standing at 1.92m. But while Thiam cleared it first time, the Briton failed twice before pulling a big jump to clear on her final attempt.

Her relief was palpable. The smile enormous. A few minutes later history repeated itself at 1.95m as, once again with the pressure on, Johnson-Thompson soared over the bar on her third attempt. Thiam, meanwhile, went one better — jumping 1.98m to lead after two events with 2285 points, with the Briton in second 33 points back.

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Next, however, came Johnson-Thompson’s eventus horribilus: the shot put – the discipline that usually singes her confidence and chances of glory.

While most of her rivals are capable of throwing between 13.50 and 15.50m, she has often struggled to go over 12m.

The initial signs weren’t promising. The first attempt blobbed out to just 11.71m. But aided by an some on-site coaching repairs from Volcin, she followed up a second round throw of 12.23m with a last round effort of 12.72m — her best ever in a heptathlon. As she walked away, even Johnson-Thompson would have understood Volcin’s loud cry of “Allez Kat!”

As she admitted afterwards she was particularly delighted how she had responded under pressure: “Obviously I had a shaky first throw and I was happy that I was able to respond,” she said. “Normally I would go into meltdown mode.”

Her score of 709 meant she only dropped one place to third, on 2961 points.

At the Olympics, a poor shot put had sent her tumbling from first to sixth.

Thiem, who threw 14.51m in the shot put, and Schafer, whose 14.76m was her third PB in a row were both ahead of her. But Johnson-Thompson knew that the final event of the day, the 200m, was the perfect opportunity to claw her way back into contention. And by running 22.81 into a 2.9 metres per second headwind, her second fastest time ever, she went into the narrowest of leads.

Whatever happens on day two, Johnson-Thompson will surely beat her personal best of 6682. More significantly, she has laid down a significant marker for the world championships in London this August. After two painful years she is a contender again.