Backstraight Boys Athletics Chat

Being a heptathlete (we imagine; we’re hardly speaking from experience here at Backstraight HQ…) requires not only explosiveness, endurance, technical finesse, and sublime co ordination, but nerves of absolute steel. The psychological challenges of the event have proven a stumbling block for many physically-gifted athletes, and to be able to reach into your bag of tricks and deliver a third round clearance, lifetime best, or gutsy 800 metres at the end of two gruelling days of competition requires the mentality of a supreme competitor. Niamh Emerson, from what we’ve seen so far, is one of those. Bronze at her first major senior championships, gold in Tampere after the most dramatic of 800 metres, and silver behind KJT with the best pentathlon performance ever executed by a teenager: we have grown accustomed to this athlete bringing her A-game every time. Great Britain’s heptathlon heritage is as rich as they come - Mary Rand, Mary Peters, Judy Simpson, Denise Lewis, Kelly Sotherton, Jess Ennis-Hill, and Katar