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Thiam poised for third Olympic heptathlon gold

Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam is on the brink of a third straight Olympic heptathlon crown after a dominant performance in the javelin saw her pull clear of British rival Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Thiam, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion, unleashed a massive 54.04m javelin throw in Friday’s second morning to pull 121 points clear of Johnson-Thompson.

Thiam has 5,924 points after six events compared to 2019 world champion Johnson-Thompson’s 5,803 points. 

It means Johnson-Thompson would have to run around eight seconds faster than Thiam in Friday’s final event, the 800m, to overhaul the Belgian.

Although Johnson-Thompson’s best 800m time is 6.5sec faster than Thiam, the Belgian is unlikely to let such a commanding advantage slip with a third straight gold medal on the line.

Switzerland’s Annik Kaelin is third on 5,694 points while Belgium’s Noor Vidts is just outside the medals in fourth spot.

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