Katarina Johnson-Thompson takes heptathlon silver and her first Olympic medal

Katarina Johnson-Thompson laid it all on the line to secure heptathlon silver at the Stade de France for her first Olympic medal.

The Liverpudlian sat 121 points behind Belgian champion Nafissatou Thiam entering the final event, the 800 metres.

She faced a nearly impossible task, needing to beat Thiam by more than eight seconds to surpass her main rival.

Johnson-Thompson clocked a personal best 2:04.90, but it was not quite enough as she finished 36 points behind Thiam, who has now twice successfully defended her Olympic title.

The Briton told the BBC: “I can’t even describe the words. I’m just so relieved, I’m so, so happy that I’ve got an Olympic medal to add to my collection. It’s the only one I didn’t have. It’s been so hard getting to this point, getting back to this point, so I’m so relieved.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed at the minute.

“In the lead up to these Games all I’ve been saying is that’s what I want, obviously I wanted a medal, but I just wanted to have a chance at the start of the 800 and that’s what I had.

“It was a very far off chance, it’s an eight-second chance, but that’s what this sport is, getting to that point and then seeing who’s got it at the end.

“I can’t really complain. Nafi ran a PB. Nafi’s one of, if not the greatest of all time, and I’m so blessed to be having one these big rivalries with one of the greatest of all time. I got a personal best myself so that’s all I can ask for.”

Belgium’s Noor Vidts completed the podium.

Johnson-Thompson finished nearly six seconds ahead of the Olympic champion, and second-fastest overall behind the United States’ Anna Hall.

Nine of the top 11 finishers clocked personal bests, while Hall equalled her season’s best 2:04.39.

The fast-paced final followed rainfall over the Stade de France, and in a moment of added drama Thiam at one point appeared to slip, but remained on her feet to finish ninth in 2:10.62.

A maiden medal has been a long time coming for Johnson-Thompson, who finished 13th on Olympic debut at London 2012, then sixth at the Rio 2016 Games.

The 31-year-old was then forced to pull out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after sustaining a calf injury in the 200 metres.

Denise Lewis, the Sydney 2000 Olympic heptathlon champion, hailed Johnson-Thompson’s “sensational” effort, telling the BBC: “She has worked doggedly to be the best that she can be. Her demeanour has changed. She is more confident, she is trusting. She is resilient, absolutely resilient.

“She is the national-record holder, a double world champion, had she not left this arena with a medal, I think she would have been really disappointed. It completes the set.

“Thiam has been incredible. She knew the pressure she was under to achieve this incredibly rare feat. She has worked socks off to improve on her weaknesses. We will never see another heptathlete like this. She is sensational.”

Jessica-Ennis Hill who famously claimed heptathlon gold on ‘Super Saturday’ at London 2012, told the BBC: “The last two years we have just seen a different Kat. She has had a completely lighter persona. You can see that she is so present and competitive.

“As an athlete that has also picked up a silver medal behind Nafi Thiam, you know she is (Thiam) an iconic heptathlete. It’s a great feeling. She should be so proud. I know we have said it so many times but the resilience to keep coming back.

“I remember in Rio after we competed, she was almost ready to stop there. She had just had enough. But she kept going – for two more Olympics! It’s so hard to put into words how challenging that is and how well she has done.”

Johnson-Thompson began day two at the top of the table and maintained her place after landing 6.40m in the long jump to hold a narrow 45-point advantage over the rest of the field.

She threw a season’s-best 45.49m in the javelin, but Thiam landed a mammoth 54.04m for a season’s best of her own.

Johnson-Thompson’s two javelin attempts were the second and third best throws of her life, while on the first day of competition she set a personal best in the shot put of 14.44m, cleared 1.92m in the high jump – her highest in five years – and ran a season’s best 13.40 in the 100m hurdles.

British Olympic heptathlon debutante Jade O’Dowda finished 10th overall.

She said of the silver medallist: “She’s so inspiring.

“I was so lucky I got to watch it, literally in front of me. We spent the whole two days together, even the week, we’re sharing an apartment.

“So we go down to breakfast together, go to the track together, literally incredible.

“I’m so pleased for her, this is what she’s wanted, she’s wanted an Olympic medal and she gave it her all, there was literally nothing else she could’ve done.”