Katarina Johnson-Thompson refused to get carried away despite remaining in gold medal contention at the World Championships.
The 2019 world heptathlon champion sits second, 93 points adrift of leader Anna Hall, after the first day in Budapest.
She still faces a battle to return to the global podium with the United States’ Chari Hawkins just five points behind and team-mate Taliyah Brooks a further 13 points adrift.
But, after an Achilles rupture in 2020, Johnson-Thompson remains cautiously optimistic.
She said: “I’m just seeing what I can do. Who would have predicted today?
“Sport is so unpredictable and especially heptathlon. That’s why I don’t like trying to think about what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just trying to take each event as it comes.
“It’s really close behind me as well. All I need to do is just keep knocking on the door, stay in the flow and who knows what can happen?
“I just want a medal. I’m definitely in amongst it.”
A storm postponed the action by an hour in the morning and forced Johnson-Thompson to wait.
The 30-year-old ran 13.50 seconds in her 100 metres hurdles heat, before clearing 1.86m in the high jump.
It left her fourth overall with 2104 points – 41 adrift of leader Hall – before the evening session.
A best of 13.64m in the shot put dropped her to joint fifth before victory in her 200m heat in 23.48s boosted her medal hopes heading into the second day.
She added: “Today has been one of the most gruelling days of heptathlon I’ve ever experienced. We are all feeling it and we’re all talking to each other and asking, why are we so tired?
“I think it was the delay, waking up at six, warming up and then being told ‘no, stop.'”
Zharnel Hughes, the fastest man in the world this year, clocked 10 seconds in his 100m heat ahead of Sunday’s semi-finals and final.
Hughes, the British 100m and 200m record holder, won his race while Reece Prescod, who pulled out of the relay squad earlier this week, qualified in third in his heat.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work once the Championships finish, was second in his heat on his Great Britain debut.
The 31-year-old has taken annual leave to compete in Budapest and returns to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29.
“I’m on the world stage. I say to people who don’t really know track and field ‘I’m at the World Cup of athletics’ and they’re like ‘OK’,” he said, after running 10.10s.
“For me, that’s incredible because this is beyond a dream. I didn’t grow up dreaming to do this but, by the grace of God, I found myself doing this.
“I’ve had a lot of support from all the different accountant bodies. They’re like ‘yo, you’re putting accountants on the map’. We’re not just these boring stiff squares sat at the office typing away.”
Great Britain captain Laura Muir, who has endured a disrupted year after splitting from long-term coach Andy Young in March, was second in her 1500m heat in the morning session.
She clocked four minutes 03.50 seconds behind the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan.
Kenya’s defending champion Faith Kipyegon remains the overwhelming favourite and won her heat in 4:02.62.
Great Britain’s Katie Snowden and Melissa Courtney-Bryant also progressed to Sunday’s semi final.
Muir said: “Job done, I wanted to qualify with as little drama as possible.
“I was a little disappointed we weren’t in the rain. I would have been happy to crack on but I know there’s a lot of electrical equipment and technical equipment and the rain doesn’t suit everybody.
“It’s a fast track, I think it’ll be an exciting champs. As soon as I did a couple of strides it felt nice. There’s always a bit of scrapping and spiking but I felt comfortable.
“I saw Sifan go past and I was expecting that but I was scared she would go and everyone would come. I kept looking up and saw there was a gap.”
In the men’s 1500m Josh Kerr, who won Olympic bronze in Tokyo, Neil Gourley and Elliot Giles all reached Sunday’s semis, with last year’s world champion Jake Wightman out with injury.
Jazmin Sawyers, the European indoor champion, finished 22nd in qualifying to miss out on the long jump final with a best of just 6.41m.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred wraps up UK tour with visits to Ladbroke Grove schools
Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred concluded her tour of the United Kingdom on Thursday with visits to two schools in Ladbroke Grove, London, where she inspired students from the vibrant Saint Lucian community in the area. This wraps up a whirlwind week for Alfred, who has been actively promoting St. Lucia in her new role as the island’s Tourism Ambassador.
Alfred’s day began at St. Mary’s Primary School, where students, aged 5 to 11, welcomed her with a special assembly and a hymn, creating a warm, uplifting start to the visit. Alfred gave an inspiring talk to the young audience, sharing her journey from her small Caribbean island to the Olympic podium, and then answered questions from eager students about her achievements and what it’s like to be an Olympian.
The visit continued at All Saints Catholic College, a secondary school for students aged 11 to 17, where Alfred joined a Physical Education lesson, offering insights into the training and challenges that helped shape her career. Following a tour of the school, she participated in an assembly featuring the school’s steel pan band, answering students' questions on her historic gold-medal victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics and her excitement about her new ambassadorial role.
Alfred was joined by acclaimed British Saint Lucian author Laura Henry-Allain, the Mayor of the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and His Excellency the High Commissioner for Saint Lucia, adding to the event's significance for the local community.
Reflecting on her week-long UK tour, Alfred shared, “It’s been quite the week. On Saturday I met with other ambassadors from Asia and Africa with His Excellency the High Commissioner. On Sunday I met my people, St Lucians in the UK, on Monday I spoke to media about my new role and then it was World Travel Market. To see all the countries around the world being represented was quite something. It’s been an honour to use my platform to help promote my island.”
Alfred’s ambassadorship follows her incredible success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she became the 100m champion, making history for St. Lucia. Now, with her UK commitments complete, Alfred will return her focus to preparing for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she will aim to continue her stellar track record.
Alfred’s UK tour has not only strengthened ties with the St Lucian community in the UK but also highlighted the island on a global stage, underscoring her dedication to her role as an ambassador both on and off the track.
Julien Alfred reveals she almost withdrew from Olympics due to pressure
Olympic champion Julien Alfred, who rose to global fame this summer by winning gold in the 100 metres at the Paris Olympic Games, has revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that she nearly withdrew from the Games due to the intense pressure she felt after a standout performance earlier in the year. The 23-year-old, who clocked an impressive 10.72 seconds to claim her title as the world's fastest woman, shared her journey through the mental and physical challenges she faced leading up to her historic win.
Reflecting on her victory at the Stade de France, Alfred said, “I remember screaming so loud and bursting into tears just knowing all my hard work and sacrifice has paid off and knowing how hard it was to get to that point in my career. All I could do was just cry.”
However, after winning gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow earlier this year, Alfred admitted she felt overwhelming pressure to continue delivering exceptional performances. “I put so much pressure on myself after the World Indoors that I have to deliver every single time,” she said. “My coach took me off the track, took me out of competition so I can just focus on my mental health and my physical health as well.”
The expectation to perform at her peak weighed heavily on Alfred, especially as she took on the role of a trailblazer for St. Lucia. “That was such a hard time for me where I felt like there’s no way I’m going to continue, there’s no way I feel like I have the mental capacity to go to the line again and to represent my country,” she admitted. “Suddenly I got more attention, especially after winning the World Indoors, that I was not used to. I'm just so used to doing well and going back to my shell where I just work on the little things and then go back on the line whenever I have to again.”
Despite the struggle, Alfred overcame the pressure, becoming not only St. Lucia’s first Olympic gold medalist but also securing silver in the 200m three days later, marking her country’s first two Olympic medals. Known affectionately as “Ju Ju” back home, Alfred returned to the track determined to make her nation proud, sharing the podium with American stars Sha’carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson.
During her time in the UK as St. Lucia's Tourism Ambassador, Alfred has embraced her role as a national icon. She represented her country at the World Tourism Market and visited schools to inspire young students, encouraging the next generation to pursue their dreams.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred engages officials and the public as St Lucia's tourism ambassador at World Travel Market in London
Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia made a celebrated appearance at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, engaging with members of the travel industry and the general public as Saint Lucia’s Tourism Ambassador. Alfred, who earned the ambassadorial role in September following her historic gold medal win in the 100m at the Paris Olympics in August, has been the face of Saint Lucia’s tourism efforts in London since her arrival last weekend.
At just 23 years old, Alfred has quickly become an icon for Saint Lucia, not only as the country’s first Olympic gold medalist but also as a silver medalist in the 200m. Her presence at WTM, the premier global event for the travel industry, has drawn significant interest. The event, which has been held annually for over 40 years, attracts approximately 45,000 attendees from more than 150 countries, providing a platform for key players in the tourism sector to connect, share ideas, and foster business relationships.
Over the past two days, Alfred has been actively involved in WTM activities, meeting with travel industry professionals and the general public. Her role as Tourism Ambassador allows her to promote Saint Lucia, emphasizing the island’s rich culture, vibrant heritage, and unique travel experiences. Her interactions have aimed to inspire new interest in Saint Lucia as a premier Caribbean destination, leveraging her global recognition as an Olympic champion.
As Saint Lucia’s Tourism Ambassador, Alfred has embraced her role with enthusiasm, and her appearance at WTM underscores her commitment to representing her homeland on the world stage.
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