By Lori Ewing
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson led the heptathlon with only the 800 metres remaining at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday as she continues her comeback from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The 2019 world champion threw 46.14 metres in the javelin, shattering her previous personal best of 44.33, to hold on to top spot in the standings with 5,710 points.
Anouk Vetter, the Olympic silver medallist from the Netherlands, climbed five spots into second place on 5,684 points with a massive 59.57m javelin throw. Anna Hall of the United States is third on 5,567.
Johnson-Thompson trailed Hall, who won world bronze last year, by 93 points overnight but overtook the American with a long jump of 6.54, the best of the day.
The 30-year-old Johnson-Thompson ruptured her Achilles in 2020 and was forced to withdraw during the Tokyo Olympics when she tore a calf muscle during the 200m.
World and Olympic champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium is missing the event due to injury.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond)
