Childhood friends Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who is competing for gold in the women’s heptathlon at the Olympics, and Jodie Comer, star of Killing Eve, are close.
Actress Jodie Comer, of Killing Eve, is one of Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s strongest supporters as she competes for gold in Paris 2024. Since they first met at Liverpool’s school, the two have been great friends. They don’t get together as much as they would want because of their hectic schedules, but they nevertheless closely follow each other’s professional developments.
The heptathlon standout earned her first gold medal since 2019 at the World Championships in Budapest last year, capping a string of injury-plagued years. And Comer was one of the first to congratulate her friend on Instagram with a succinct yet heartfelt post.
When you give everything to a thing. We love you,” wrote Comer, 31, who will star in the upcoming film 28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle.
Before the current Olympic Games, Johnson-Thompson, who is also 31 years old, discussed their friendship, saying, “Jodie and I live in two different worlds.” I almost feel protective of Jodie, so I never even consider how other people might perceive me when we’re together. Jessica Ennis-Hill is optimistic that Johnson-Thompson will win an Olympic gold in Paris, capping her wait. When Ennis-Hill won the gold in the heptathlon in front of a home audience in London in 2012, the Liverpudlian placed 14th in her debut Olympics. She placed sixth in Rio 2016 and was unable to finish in Tokyo three years prior due to injuries.
Before the women’s heptathlon at the Stade de France began, Ennis-Hill declared, “She’s very capable of winning that gold medal.” Positives emerged from last year, as she emerged victorious in another world title contest. People probably anticipated her to place on the podium but maybe not to take home the gold. It was amazing to witness. Coming into this year, she’s been in a fantastic spot both emotionally and coaching-wise.
Johnson-Thompson pulled out of her first effort and failed on her next two, needing a few tries to clear the bar at 1.86m, 1.89m, and 1.92m. After two races, Johnson-Thompson had the lead with 2197 points, followed by Thiam, a Belgian, with 2173.
Ennis-Hill’s faith in Johnson-Thompson seemed well-founded after a solid performance in the first two events on Thursday morning. The world champion, who has been recovering from a persistent tendinitis problem, improved from ninth place overall with a season-best time of 13.40 seconds in the hurdles and a personal best of 1.92 meters in the high jump. Johnson-Thompson and Nafissatou Thiam, the reigning Olympic champion, engaged in a heated competition in the high jump. Thiam was unbeatable up until the bar was lifted to 1.95 meters, at which point she lost all three of her tries.