Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Katarina Johnson-Thompson says heptathlon medal at worlds is 'huge ask'

Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Britain's exciting young heptathlete, insists she feels under no extra pressure to succeed at the world championships following Jessica Ennis-Hill's withdrawal, but she has cautioned people not to expect too much too soon.The 20-year-old from Liverpool, who won gold in the heptathlon at the European Under-23 Championships and the long jump at the world junior championships last month,Wholesale Jeans cheap Jeans said it would be "a huge ask" to get a medal in Moscow, despite the absence of Ennis-Hill and the 2011 world champion Tatyana Chernova. She believes a top-eight finish is more realistic."I don't think there is any pressure on me," she said. "I've heard people say I'm a medal prospect but I'm still ranked 12th going into Moscow so it will be a huge ask to suddenly go for a medal. Obviously I'd love to do it, but we will have to wait and see. I'm still only 20 and there is plenty more time to get medals.Buy Cheap Abercrombie Men's Jeans I just want to improve on last year, when I was 15th at the Olympics, and will be happy with a top eight in Moscow."There may be reason for greater optimism. Only three athletes competing in Moscow have season's bests of 6,400-plus points – the American Sharon Day,Wholesale Purses cheap Purses Germany's Julia M?chtig and Ukraine's Hanna Melnychenko – and Johnson-Thompson, whose personal best is 6,267, believes more is possible if she improves in the shot put and javelin. "I've been trying to fix the throws all winter," she said. "If I get the throws I could add 300 points which takes me up to 6,400-6,500, which is definitely a big chunk of an improvement." 

Johnson-Thompson spent five weeks being unable to train properly after tearing ankle ligaments in May, but victory in the long jump at the Anniversary Games showed she has completely recovered. That day she beat Ennis-Hill and admits she feels for her injured team-mate."It must be devastating for her," said Johnson-Thompson. "I hope she gets better soon and comes back as good. It's always great to have a team-mate competing alongside you and Jess is an inspiration of mine. She will be back, I'm sure."I didn't really start watching athletics until Beijing 2008 and Jess wasn't there because she was injured," she added. "But I do remember [Sweden's] Carolina Kluft before that and she was an inspiration, too. I even watched Jess compete in the field events at London 2012 – I thought maybe one day I could do the same as her."It was during the Olympics that Johnson-Thompson introduced herself to the wider public – and after competing in front of 80,000 people at her home Games, Moscow holds few fears. "That definitely helped me prepare for anything in my life now,Buy Cheap Abercrombie Men's Polos" she said. "It was the biggest thing I will probably ever do but I didn't realise it at the time."I was in the athletes' village and had not been to the Olympic Stadium until the day of the heptathlon itself. They took us down the tunnel and as we came through for the hurdles I got a glimpse of all the people and could Buy Cheap Chloe dress-CLE0022hear all the noise, all the people shouting for us."I saw Usain Bolt and David Rudisha on the warm-up track. Then as I walked into the stadium I sort of realised how big it was – 80,000 people. Just a blanket of people. I just had to try and focus on my race and I think that has helped me ever since."While Johnson-Thompson aims to emulate Ennis-Hill by winning Olympic gold, she believes she may have to wait until 2020 before she peaks. "I'll still only be 23 in Rio, which is young for a heptathlete, but as long as I just keep improving … then there will be medals. Jess was 26 when she won gold at London 2012 and that's the age I will be around the 2020 Games."

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