Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon long jump at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (© Getty Images)
There was great controversy in the heptathlon long jump with Katarina Johnson-Thompson – in contention for the gold medal – recording three fouls.
And it was not just that the 22-year-old fouled all of her jumps; they would have all been long enough to ensure a good position for her going into the last two events. The Briton’s first two jumps were clear fouls – 5.1cm over the plasticine on the first one and 6.2cm on the second. But the third one, also the longest jump of the competition in the region of 6.85m-6.90m, was a really close one.
Johnson-Thompson protested the decision and the British team lodged an appeal, but they later withdrew it after reviewing the evidence. It means her hopes of a medal in the heptathlon are over, but she has another chance in the long jump later in the championships.
Overnight leader Jessica Ennis-Hill performed well in the long jump, leaping a season’s best of 6.43m, just a mere eight centimetres off her personal best of 6.51m set in Gotzis in 2012. The 29-year-old is now in a prime position to win the second world title of her career, six years after her first.
The Briton needs a throw of about 42-43 metres in the javelin to ensure her task in the final event, the 800m, is a relatively easy one. She leads the competition with 4990 points after five events.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton had a good long jump with 6.55m, putting her on course for a second successive World Championships medal. But the 26-year-old, who came to Beijing as the world leader and the gold medal favourite, has lost 222 points in the first five events in comparison to her personal best and world-leading series from Gotzis.
The Canadian has a javelin PB of 46.47m from the London Olympics in 2012 and will need to come close to that to challenge for the gold medal. Theisen-Eaton is 102 points behind the leader Ennis-Hill with 4888 points after five events.
Ukraine’s Anastasiya Moknhyuk is third with 4847 points after leaping 6.51m this morning. But that will not be enough to put her in medal contention because she is a 37-metre javelin thrower and not among the best of the 800m runners.
Germany’s Claudia Rath topped the long jump with a 6.61m effort in the second round, her other two jumps were both fouls. The 29-year-old is in fourth place at the moment with 4779 points and is heading for a place in the top six overall.
Nadine Visser of the Netherlands is in fifth place with 4764 points. The Dutchwoman had a disappointing long jump with just 6.14m, which may affect her medal ambitions. Team-mate Nadine Broersen is in sixth place with 4692 points after a 6.20m long jump but now looks to be the best pick for the bronze medal. The 25-year-old’s javelin PB is 54.97m from 2012 and this year she has thrown 53.65m, which would be enough to move her up the standings.
Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium is in seventh with 4688 points after a 6.14m long jump and Laura Ikauniece-Adminina is in eighth with 4675 points. The Latvian jumped a personal best of 6.32m in the long jump and is a 50-metre javelin thrower, so could be heading for a top-five finish.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
