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.
“Every time he stepped up, I knocked him down”- Bailey dismisses notion of rivalry with Johnson
1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey has dismissed his track ‘rivalry’ with Michael Johnson and explained how the 150m race between him and the American sprint legend came to be.
Speaking on ‘The Powells’ YouTube Channel hosted by former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and his wife Alyshia, the Jamaican-Canadian explained that there was no rivalry between himself and Michael Johnson since every time they raced together, he was always the one winning.
Bailey, a former world record holder himself, said the first time they clashed in 1994, he beat Michael Johnson.
At the event, Michael Johnson would only run in the final but Bailey competed in all the rounds and still beat the former 200m and 400m world record holder in the final.
“Michael and I ran together for the first time in 1994 in Germany and he was trying to step down and I think he was actually doing a couple of rounds. My coach and agent told me that Michael Johnson would be running the 100m final but not the heats or any other race. The people were there to see the fastest guys run and I was like he’s sitting in the stands watching us run. I ran and won my heat and then the finals came and I murdered them,” Bailey said.
“I’m sitting in the stands, there’s no rivalry then or now…you know. I’m in the 100m and odd list history of the Olympics, I’ve been the only one to break the world record and to not be the fastest man in the world, and Michael said that…I mean, the NBC said that first but Michael bought into the idea and I think to this day. I know that I represent terrible days at his office, every time he stepped up, I mean, I knocked him down,” Bailey added.
After the 1996 Summer Olympics, American Sportscaster Bob Costas claimed that 200m Gold medalist Johnson was faster than Bailey because Johnson's 200m time (19.32 Seconds) divided by 2 (9.66 Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's 100m time (9.84).
This started a debate on whether Johnson or Bailey was the real "World's Fastest Man", which in turn resulted in a 150m race between the two in 1997, in which Bailey won after Johnson allegedly injured his hamstring.
He says the 150m race came about after discussions while admitting that from it, he made a lot of money.
Competing before a sold-out stadium at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Bailey explained that he knew he had to win the race to prove everyone wrong and he certainly showed, winning in 14.99 seconds.
“There was no rivalry…I appreciate that. Running the 100m, Michael is a 10.1 guy at his greatest thing and then again and he is one of the best endurance athletes to ever walk the face of this earth…world record in the 200m and 400m, no chance can he be in the 100m,” he explained.
“Bob Kersee had said Michael Johnson was the fastest man and I think it was also America, and they were hosting the Olympics. I had just arrived from Texas and broken a world record. They had to build up Michael,” Bailey added.
Lifespan Spring Water throws support behind Pink Run
There were 1208 new cases of Breast Cancer in Jamaica in 2020, in fact, it is estimated that 1 in 21 women will get the disease. It is the most common form of cancer in the island with an estimated 637 deaths.
The Annual Pink Run for Breast Cancer Awareness, which took place on October 26th is designed to break the stigma around the disease and raise awareness while at the same time raising critical funds for organizations dedicated to fighting breast cancer and supporting individuals affected by it.
Lifespan Spring Water recognizing the crucial nature of the event and the cause, immediately threw its support behind the run as hydration sponsor. “Knowing that cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among Jamaican women, we are taking a positive step to raise awareness and provide tangible support to our students who have taken on this life saving project,” said Nayana Williams CEO Lifespan.
“Our vision is longevity for the Jamaican people, so doing our part to reduce this scourge is in keeping with who we are”, she added.
The event kicked off at 6.45am on Saturday at the UWI Guild location where Lifespan erected water stations at the start/end and 2 spots along the way.
“We are honoured to have Lifespan be a participating sponsor in this event to ensure that our participants remain hydrated and energized throughout the day. With Lifespan being a trusted provider of clean, natural spring water, we believe that your brand aligns perfectly with the health and wellness focus of the event,” commented Michael John External Affairs Chairperson UWI Guild.
Emerging from the race as Male winners were Matthew Hutchinson (1st) Rolando Rednan (2nd) Jaheim Murdock (3rd).
In the Female category, the winners were Paula Kay Clarke (1st) Colleen Scott (2nd) Tannice Anglin (3rd).
The Pink Run forms part of the Pink-Tober series of events.
Julien Alfred named Best Female Athlete of Paris 2024 by ANOC
St Lucia’s sprint sensation Julien Alfred has been awarded the prestigious Best Female Athlete of the Paris 2024 Olympics by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). Alfred, who dominated the 100m event with a lifetime-best 10.72 seconds, was present to receive the accolade at a grand ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, honoring standout athletes from the 2024 Olympic Games.
Alfred, 23, delivered a spectacular performance at the Paris Games, capturing gold in the women’s 100m final and securing a silver in the 200m with a time of 22.08 seconds. Her 100m victory, marked by a personal best, cemented her place as one of the fastest women in the world and brought home an Olympic gold medal for St. Lucia, a historic achievement for the Caribbean nation.
The St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) congratulated Alfred on her win, expressing pride in her accomplishments and the impact she continues to have on young athletes across the island. “We extend heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Julien Alfred on being awarded this remarkable accolade. We hope her continued successes inspire present and future athletes,” the SLOC stated, emphasizing Alfred’s role in representing St. Lucia on the global stage.
With this award, Alfred joins an elite group of Olympic athletes celebrated for their dedication and excellence, marking a significant moment for her career and St. Lucian sports. Her achievements in Paris underscore her status as one of the brightest stars in athletics, inspiring fans worldwide and leaving an indelible mark on the history of the Games.
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