Top Kat pushes Nafi to line but gold eludes her

TEAM GB's Katarina JohnsonThompson had to settle for silver on another memorable night at the Paris Olympics.

- JEREMY ARMSTRONG

The 31-year-old went into the 800m round of the heptathlon needing to beat Belgian superstar Nafi Thiam by 8.5 seconds for gold.

And while she managed a personal best of 2:04.90, Thiam crossed the line within six seconds to claim her third successive gold.

It was still a first Olympic medal for KJT in a fourth Games.

The Liverpudlian won her second World Championship last year, having returned from a career-threatening Achilles injury in 2020, then pulling up with a calf tear in the Tokyo Olympics.

She led the heptathlon overnight but Thiam overtook her with a powerful javelin throw, eventually taking gold by 6880 points to 6844.