It didn’t take long for the reigning Olympic Heptathlon champion to find her stride. After having clocked 8.31’ in the 60m hurdles, clearing the high jump bar at 1.89m catapulted her into the lead. At 15.16m Nafi’s best shotput placed her ahead of a competitive field before she launched headlong into an impressive 6.60m long jump. Revving up for the final discipline, the 800m, she already sported a comfortable lead. Far from resting on her laurels, however, the Belgian produced a Personal Best bringing her winning tally to 4904, seventh highest score on the world indoor all-time list. There was no shortage of Belgian flags on the podium because compatriot Noor Vidts took silver.
 

Thiam’s performance is a great start after what was obviously a difficult 2020 for all athletes. Having contended with her own bout of Covid, the 26 year-old came back with the same staying power which helped her conquer the Olympics in 2016, the World Title in 2017, the European Championship in 2018 and the Doha IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2019.
 

“This title is very special to me,” said Nafi. “The past 12 months have been a very weird period, so to be back in competition at a championship feels great. It’s been four years since I’ve done a pentathlon. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was really, really good. I’m looking forward to the summer. With more technical work, I think I can do great things.”
 

All the Richard Mille athlete’s eyes are now focused towards the Olympics, all motivated with high expectations on themselves to perform after what has been a difficult period over the last 12 months.

(Images © Getty Images)