The video above shows just how close Jessica Ennis-Hill came to winning gold in the women’s heptathlon event at the Rio 2016 Olympics – and it’s agonising to watch. This time it was pure torture.
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“When I came off from the javelin I had to speak to (coach) Toni (Minichiello) and I said, ‘what have I got to do?'”
“I love hurdles and I always said I would love to give it a go but I kind of feel that the boat has sailed on that one”.
“I knew she was going to run hard – I knew she was running for that gold medal”.
Johnson-Thompson was in contention in the world championships previous year before three fouls in the long jump stopped her in her tracks and she looked similarly distraught after her shot effort.
“I’m just really emotional”, she said.
Jessica Ennis-Hill could have competed in her final heptathlon at Rio 2016.
“It is just a really odd time in my career and it is all new to me and it is going to be big changes”.
Thiam’s rise has been rapid and staggering.
“She had had two days of unbelievable performances”.
The Team GB men’s 4x100m medley relay team, led by newly-crowned Olympic champion Adam Peaty, are also in with a fantastic shout after finishing first in their heat, the women’s quartet will also race for a medal.
With a time of 23.49 seconds in the 200, Ennis-Hill pushed up her total to 4,057 points, the only woman to break the 4,000-mark. Thiam delivered five personal bests on the way to the title, only six weeks after injuring her elbow.
She will now go away on holiday with her husband Andy and two-year-old son Reggie before making an official announcement. Her Belgian rival, in one of her weaker events, clocked 25.10 seconds (878 points).
“You have to decide, “Am I satisfied, am I happy?’ Because I’d hate for you to say somewhere down the line, ‘ooh, I’m going to make a comeback in Tokyo”.
The 24-year-old Australian won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay final on day one, but her only remaining chance of an individual medal comes in Saturday’s 50m showpiece.
“She has got so much potential and physically she’s incredible, but she’s got the throws that are weak and that needs addressing”.
“I didn’t think about it at all”, said Thiam. It was more than my throws this weekend – it was my hurdles, the long jump and the two.
She said having her family in Rio made it even more special. The hurdles is so competitive, I couldn’t just come back and train two or three days a week. “At this moment, I’m exhausted and emotional – it’s a big decision”.
Meanwhile, American Michelle Carter beat New Zealand’s two-time Olympic champion Valerie Adams to shot put gold. “It’s a tough event and I’ve done it for so long… so… we’ll see”. Then it was freezing yesterday – so the performances weren’t really working for me.
“I’ve got no excuses, I just didn’t execute”.
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On Saturday night, she lost her Olympic heptathlon crown to Belgium’s Nafi Thiam.
