All eyes will be on the long jump pit in Birmingham next weekend as two of the world’s leading heptathletes square off in the sand. Nafissatou Thiam goes up against Katarina Johnson-Thompson at the Diamond League meeting for a rehearsal – in one event at least – of a keenly anticipated contest at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Doha.
“I usually compete in the high jump at Diamond League events so to jump in the long jump, in a big stadium and a big public [crowd] and also against strong competitors it’s only going to help me to do better,” says Thiam. “I think in such conditions you can really prepare and test yourself, so I’m really excited.”
Since Rio 2016, when Thiam set a series of personal bests in her breakthrough championships to pip the defending champion and favourite, Jessica Ennis-Hill, to the heptathlon gold medal, the Belgian has been talked about as one of the best to have ever taken up her sport. Now not only the Olympic but also the world and European champion, the 24-year-old has a personal best of 7,013 points in the seven-discipline event. To put that into context, Denise Lewis’s British record stands at 6,831 and only four heptathletes in history have gone beyond the 7,000 mark. In last year’s European Championships Johnson-Thompson pushed her all the way however – finishing only 57 points behind Thiam as the Briton claimed silver in Berlin.
Given the achievements of her career, it is perhaps understandable that Thiam is not keen to talk up any rivalry with Johnson-Thompson. “My competition in Berlin didn’t start so good and to see Katarina doing so well, it really pushed me and motivated me to go even further. I really hope in the coming years it can carry on like that because it’s what we all need to get better.”
Thiam suggests there are in fact a number of viable challengers for her various titles, such as the German Carolin Schäfer and the Latvian Laura Ikauniece. “It’s not just between two, we have other very strong athletes and we have to also take them into consideration. There have been a few girls who have been doing more than 6,800.” In the past two years, however, only Johnson-Thompson has posted scores above that mark.
Thiam admits she does not have much of a relationship with the Liverpudlian. “Away from competition we don’t really see each other. If we see each other in the bus or the hotel I guess, we’re going to talk together. Every athlete is different but, for me, when I’m in competition it’s really hard for me to get out of it and talk. I’m very closed I would say. In heptathlon all the girls have a good relationship. We respect each other. We are all fair play, and it’s the same with Katarina I guess.”
Next weekend’s skirmish in the sandpit is a prelude to Doha, an event that will come with its own challenges, not least of which will be the heat. The Khalifa International Stadium, the host venue, has been installed with a unique open air air-conditioning system. That in itself will take some adjusting, says Thiam, as will the hours of competition, with the heptathlon scheduled to take place during the evening.
“I think there is a lot to do,” Thiam says of her preparation. “We are going to have to do what we can to stay cool, not to eat too much and there’s going to be issues of acclimatisation in the stadium. I don’t really know what to expect with the temperature. In the warming-up area it’s going to be pretty hot and once we get in the stadium I don’t know how big the impact is going to be with the temperature regulation. We will just have to wait to discover it there. With the schedule, the fact we start so late, I think it’s also something we’ll have to get the body used to, to wake up later, to train later and be able to go to bed later too. I think there’s a lot of things to prepare.”
Even before Doha, Thiam has another challenge to complete. After six years of studying alongside training and competition, she is about to complete her degree in geography at the University of Liège. Only the small matter of an oral defence of her thesis, scheduled to take place a couple of weeks before the worlds, remains to be completed.
“It’s been the same every year, I do my exam in July then have a championship in August,” she says. “It’s not a stress-free situation and that’s why I’m going to be happy to be out of university. But I’ve been there for six years, so it’s not so hard for me to manage any more. I’m just happy it’s my last year.”
Pragmatic and goals-focused, Thiam is not the type to let her head drift. She wants to use Birmingham to improve her rhythm in the long jump and Doha to improve her ranking. As for the ultimate goal many have tipped her to achieve, that of breaking Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s world record of 7,291 points set in 1988, Thiam says “not yet”.
“Everybody is talking about it but I think it’s funny because I’m still like 300 points away,” she says. “That’s huge! I’m not even close. I think it’s important for me to focus on reasonable goals. Step by step. So now I’m really thinking about that European record [of 7,032 points] because I’m not so far away from it. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do it, but it’s a goal I can really focus on. I’m not at all thinking about the world record … yet.”
Tickets for the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on 18 August are on sale at www.theticketfactory.com/british-athletics/online/