Katarina Johnson-Thompson has vowed to end her injury nightmare and make up for lost time next year after a niggling foot injury spoiled her summer.
The heptathlete was ready to make a huge impression on the world stage after securing a personal best of 6,682 points in July – a world-leading-score in 2014.
But she never got the chance to turn that blistering form into medals, sustaining a ‘stress reaction’ in her foot which forced her to sit on the sidelines for eight weeks.
In that time Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games and the European Championships have come and gone – and the 21-year-old admits 2015 can’t come soon enough.
“Everything’s fine, it’s been okay since day two (of the injury), I haven’t felt anything so I don’t feel like an injured athlete, which is annoying,” said Johnson-Thompson, who was speaking at the 2014 Sainsbury’s School Games in Manchester.
“It was just the worst time possible – if it was the start of the year I could have recovered from it and just plodded on with my season, but it was over two major championships which is the annoying thing.
“I think it will help me next to year to train harder and come back with a vengeance. I think everything was going too well in a sense and when I’m back on the track, it’ll help me to grasp every opportunity.
“This is the time all athletes should be resting but now I’m so focused, so it’s definitely going to be a blessing in disguise.”
And next year could prove just the tonic for Johnson-Thompson ahead of the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, as the World Championships in Beijing loom next August.
JUMPING HIGH: Johnson-Thompson has next March’s Europeans in her sights
“I watched the Commonwealth Games and after that I decided I couldn’t (watch) the Europeans, so that was me done watching athletics this summer,” she added.
“It was very hard for me to watch an event you feel you’re at your peak at and feel you’re in really good shape. It’s very hard to sit on the couch and watch it, so I kept busy.
“My next big event is the Europeans in March. I will be pretty much doing everything the same in training throughout winter (to prepare).”
The Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games, which is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, is taking place in venues across Manchester (4-7 September 2014). Visit www.2014schoolgames.com for more information.
