Atalina Johnson-Thompson Said she is confident that she will be moving in the right direction before the Olympics after her return from injury at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead.
The 28-year-old won the world heptathlon championship in 2019, but suffered a rupture of his Achilles tendon in the winter. He has barely participated in the competition this season and is only a few weeks away from the Tokyo Olympics.
In the long jump competition, Johnson Thompson won the eighth place with her standard of 6.10 meters, but she was very healthy and knew what she needed to do before the competition.
Johnson-Thompson said: “This proves that I am 100% healthy. I only don’t jump once. It turns out that I have made a lot of progress, and I can come out and complete five jumps in my complete method.
“Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I can do more work on my technology, and the distance will be closer in Tokyo, I’m sure.”
Johnson Thomson started with 6.07, improved by 1 cm in the third round, and then ended with her longest jumper, but the important thing that night was not the numbers.
She said: “I don’t know what will happen. It’s all about feeling. I want to try to get on the board. It’s about getting back to my 19-step approach.
“I have always been 100% healthy. It was the first time I participated in a run-up since Doha, so I knew I could handle it, and my body could handle it. Now I just need to think about what to do when I really take off.
She smiled and added: “It sounds simple, I know.”
When asked about her goal in Tokyo, where she will fight Nafitiam again, she replied: “My goal is always the same. My goal is to reach the starting line confidently and healthily. I am sure Will get there slowly.”
For British pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw, it also proved a positive night. She was second only to Sandy Morris in the United States, but she cleared a major obstacle in her own mind.
Bradshaw set a new British record of 4.9 million in Manchester last month and admitted that she has been struggling ever since.
She said: “I really didn’t realize how much it hit me. But this was an important moment in my career. It exhausted me physically and mentally. Then because I jumped 4.90m, I was a bit ahead.
“I think I have overlooked some basic knowledge, which is very important in pole vault. I have been trying to bully a big pole to clear a big bar because that is his lazy way.
“But I managed to break through the storm. I felt like the back end of the game. I found my jump. I found my confidence again. I’m really happy.”
It was an exciting night for the 34-year-old two-time European 400m champion Martin Rooney, who finished seventh in the final major.
Rooney said: “This is the last big game for me. I would love to see crowds like Wimbledon or Wembley, but I enjoy it.
“Thank you to all the people who pushed me forward in my career, even if it was negative. They kept me honest, and all the support drove me to move on.”
Supplementary report of PA.
