Katarina Johnson-Thompson takes heptathlon gold to become two-time world champion after injury hell
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is a double world champion after claiming heptathlon gold for Team GB at the 2023 World Championships.
At the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, she crossed the finish line second in the 800m with a 2:05.63 personal best time to take home the gold.
It completes an incredible turnaround in her career.
There were concerns that the 30-year-old might never return to the track after being ravaged by injuries in recent years.
In 2020, she ruptured her Achilles that left her sidelined for months before a calf injury saw her withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics on the first day.
But, in Budapest, Johnson-Thompson completed a stunning return to form.
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In a captivating final event at the 800m, she kept her nearest rival Anna Hall at bay to win the heptathlon.
Her final score of 6740 points was 20 more than the American athlete to complete a remarkable recovery since her last world championship victory four years ago.
She held off Hall by putting in a time of two minutes 05.63 seconds to register a personal best in the final discipline.
The 22-year-old was the favourite to win the event but started the day in third but overtook second-placed Netherlands' Anouk Vetter in the 800m.
But it was not enough to shake KJT off her perch, who started the day in second before her 6.54m in the long jump on Sunday morning saw her move ahead.
Then a personal best of 46.14m in the javelin saw her extend her lead at the top.
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That discipline had so often proved a tricky test in the past but in Budapest, she put those demons behind her like her injuries that helped tot up the necessary points.
And at 20 points ahead of Hall, it proved crucial in a contest that went down to the wire.