THE injury curse struck the British Athletics squad again as Katarina Johnson-Thompson failed to complete day one of the heptathlon.
Johnson-Thompson, 28, ruptured her Achilles at the end of 2020 and also underwent surgery on an unspecified issue.
The fact the Liverpudlian had managed to make the start line in Tokyo was an achievement in itself, something she called a personal “victory”.
But after 80m of the 200m heat one, the fourth of seven rounds of competition, reigning world champion Johnson-Thompson pulled up and was then disqualified for stepping outside of her lane.
She crashed to the floor in agony and remained there with her head in her hands.
A wheelchair was brought to the track but she refused that and decided to carry on running to record a time – but officials deemed that she has stepped outside of her lane.
Prior to that race, she had been lying in fifth place overall and knew that the track events were her strongest disciplines.
This bad news follows the exits of sprinter Dina Asher-Smith from the 100m and 200m following a torn hamstring, and Adam Gemili could not complete the 200m for a similar injury woe.
A statement from British Athletics stated that Johnson-Thompson picked up a calf injury.
They said: “Unfortunately Katarina Johnson-Thompson sustained an injury to her right calf during the 200m and has had to withdraw from the heptathlon.
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“To confirm, it is not a repeat of her recent Achilles injury which was on her left leg. There will be no further comment this evening.”
Commenting on Johnson-Thompson’s injury, Denise Lewis, the 2000 heptathlon Olympic champion, said: “She hasn’t contested a 200m for a while. The turn puts a lot of stress on those Achilles tendons.
“I am so gutted for her, so gutted for her. She has worked so hard to get to this stage. She increased the strapping for the 200m. This was the test event.
“Someone’s heart has been trashed on the track It will be hard for her to come back from this emotionally – but she will.”
Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 heptathlon Olympic champion, had her British record broken by Johnson-Thompson at the 2019 Athletics World Championships in Doha.
She said: “Kat has been such a victim of the past 18 months. She had the best year of her life in 2019 and was ready to go. She was in the best place – all she had to do was be ready to ride through the winter and maintain her form.
“Instead, she had an 18-month layoff and it is hard to maintain that. The event is gruelling and it has ended up in injury.
“It is utterly devastating for her. The years she has had in the sport, she has had so many lows, it’s so unfair she is in this position again.
“There is a lot going on next year, it is a huge one, and you don’t want to put the body through more stress. She has to go away and rest now.”
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
