Katarina Johnson-Thompson to miss rival while Tom Bosworth hits golden stride

Katarina Johnson-Thompson has revealed she is disappointed she cannot face rival Nafi Thiam on the European stage next month.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson in action during the Women's Long Jump during day two of the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PAKatarina Johnson-Thompson in action during the Women's Long Jump during day two of the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA
Katarina Johnson-Thompson in action during the Women's Long Jump during day two of the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA

The Commonwealth heptathlon champion yesterday won in the long jump at the British Indoor Championships.

She will compete in the pentathlon, picking her events, at the French National Championships next weekend ahead of March’s European Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

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Olympic, world and European champion Thiam has a calf problem and will not compete in the pentathlon in Scotland.

Tom Bosworth celebrates winning the Men's 5000m walk at the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PATom Bosworth celebrates winning the Men's 5000m walk at the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA
Tom Bosworth celebrates winning the Men's 5000m walk at the SPAR British Athletic Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham. Picture: Simon Cooper/PA

And after winning in Birmingham with a jump of 6.46m, Johnson-Thompson wants to face the Belgian.

“Yeah, it’s a real shame. I was a bit gutted because she wasn’t in Birmingham last year and I like to compete against her,” said Johnson-Thompson, ahead of her next competition in Miramas. “She is going to be a fierce competitor and I am excited for the outdoors.

“I haven’t done a pentathlon this year so I don’t know (if she is favourite in Glasgow) because there are a lot of good girls out there and anything can happen on the day. If I can concentrate on me and get my events where they need to be, then I’ll be fine.”

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Elsewhere, on a day short of top names, Leeds’s Tom Bosworth won the 5,000m race walk in a season’s best of 19 minutes 22.56 seconds.

The 29-year-old won silver in the 20k event at last year’s Commonwealth Games.

“I’m exhausted. I’ve had a mare of a week. I came back from South Africa and I’ve been sick,” he said. “I pushed the pace and it was a bit of a shame that he got disqualified because I didn’t have it in my legs today.

“I love competing on home soil and people know more about race walking and about me and I want to put on a show and entertain everyone.”

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The pole vault was won by Middlesbrough’s Charlie Myers in 5.45 to give him his first UK indoor title to go with his outdoor won last year. However, Myers has not achieved the qualifying mark (5.65) for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow next month.

City of Sheffield’s Adam Hague was missing through injury, while his team-mate Luke Cutts, the UK record holder was out of sorts at Birmingham, failing to clear his opening height of 5.15.

There was a predictable win for Scott Lincoln (City of York) on the shot. His winning distance was 19.06, well clear of the rest.

Chesterfield’s Alicia Barrett missed a bronze medal in the 60 metres hurdles by one hundredth of a second, finishing fourth in a high class field in 8.32.