Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson wept tears of joy as she regained her heptathlon world title in Budapest on Sunday.
The 30-year-old 2019 champion edged American Anna Hall by 20 points after finishing within the required three seconds’ leeway in the final event, the 800m.
Johnson-Thompson scored 6 740 points to Hall’s 6 720.
Her gold confirmed that she was getting back to her best after she took the Commonwealth Games title last year, which came after a series of injuries.
Hall, like Johnson-Thompson, fell to the track on completing the gruelling two-day event and then held her hands to her eyes in despair as the narrow margin of defeat sank in.
The Netherlands’ Anouk Vetter, who like Johnson-Thompson produced a superb performance in the javelin, the penultimate event, took bronze with a total of 6 501 points.
Johnson-Thompson’s victory comes in the absence of Belgium’s injured two-time Olympic gold medallist and defending champion Nafissatou Thiam.
