Katarina Johnson-Thompson shares bronze after dramatic finish to heptathlon as Anna Hall triumphs and Nafi Thiam withdraws under 'dark cloud'
Updated 20/09/2025 at 15:54 GMT+1
Two-time world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson shared the bronze medal with USA's Taliyah Brooks after a dramatic finish to the 800m in the heptathlon in Tokyo. Anna Hall finally stepped up on the biggest stage with a dominant win, while three-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam pulled out on the second day under a "dark cloud". Johnson-Thompson won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last year.
‘Can’t be separated’ - Johnson-Thompson, Brooks share bronze medal as Hall wins gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Katarina Johnson-Thompson shared the bronze medal with United States' Taliyah Brooks after a dramatic finish in the heptathlon at the World Athletic Championships.
The Olympic silver medallist came into the final event, the 800m, knowing she would need to finish around six seconds ahead of Brooks to take bronze.
She finished in 2:07.38, while Brooks came home in 2:13.17, creating an anxious wait to see who would be on the final step of the podium.
The big screen inside Tokyo's national stadium flashed up with both athletes on 6581 points, meaning a historic share of third place after two dramatic days of action in Tokyo.
Anna Hall completed her march towards the gold medal by finishing first in the 800m to rack up 6,888 points after three-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam withdrew under a "dark cloud" with two events remaining.
Earlier in the day, Hall had cemented her place at the top of the rankings with an impressive fourth-place finish in the javelin throw.
Johnson-Thompson’s title defence effectively ended on a tricky opening day, with her podium hopes fading after the javelin.
The 32-year-old produced a throw of 41.91m to add 704 points to her total, while Ireland’s Kate O’Connor climbed from fourth to second.
Johnson-Thompson won the silver medal in the heptathlon at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
She also won World Athletic Championship gold in Doha in 2019 and in Budapest in 2023.
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How KJT stacked up against champion Hall
| Event | Anna Hall | KJT |
| 100m hurdles | 13.05s (1117 points) | 13.44s (1059 points) |
| High jump | 1.89m (2210 points) | 1.86m (2113 points) |
| Shot | 15.80m (3125 points) | 13.37m (2865 points) |
| 200 metres | 23.50s (4154 points) | 23.51s (3893 points) |
| Long jump | 6.12m (5041 points) | 6.42m (4874 points) |
| Javelin | 48.13m (5865 points) | 41.91m (5578 points) |
| 800 metres | 2:06.08 (6888 points) | 2:07.38 (6581 points) |
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