Heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson: ‘My low moments shaped me into the person I am’

British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson says her biggest lessons have not come from winning, but from “the low moments”.

The 33-year-old, from Liverpool and now based in Loughborough, admits setbacks have ultimately shaped her mindset and helped her rediscover joy in competing.

“I definitely think that some of the low moments are the things that shaped me into the person I am. The lessons learned in those low moments changed me for the better,” says Johnson-Thompson, who is a double World champion, double Commonwealth Games champion and an Olympic and European silver medallist.

Johnson-Thompson, who is currently an ambassador for Radox, explains that her right calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 completely changed her perspective.

“I used to think I deserve this because I’ve done this or I’ve trained for something, therefore this should happen and it was very black or white. Now, I’ve definitely gained the mentality of going with the flow,” she says.

“Bad things happen, good things happen and that’s just life. We’re all just trying our best. I feel like that mentality definitely helped me chill out a lot more in training and approach the competition as a joy instead of a pressure pot.

“Early in my career I wasn’t doing that, I was just so focused on trying to win but I missed out on a lot of joy.”

Now with major competitions including the European Championships and Commonwealth Games on the horizon, Johnson-Thompson approaches elite competition with a very different perspective, focusing less on pressure and more on being present.

“It gets to a certain level in sports where everyone’s very talented, everyone’s training, everyone’s capable of winning,” she says.

“In my opinion, I feel like at a level like an Olympic final, a lot of it comes to luck on the day. Who hasn’t had an injury, who’s had the best preparation, who’s got the most confidence? All of that comes down to luck a lot of the time so the mentality is just about getting to the start line healthy and happy.

“What excites me most about competing at this level is seeing what happens on the day. We spend all this time on preparation, talking about it and what’s going to happen. I just want to find out. It’s like a season finale of a TV series. It’s exciting to see who’s going to step up.”

Behind the scenes, Johnson-Thompson’s demanding training schedule is carefully structured weeks in advance to manage the seven disciplines of the heptathlon.

“I’ve got everything in a structure,” she explains. “I’ve got multiple coaches and my training is sent to me four weeks in advance. I do seven different disciplines in athletics so I have a number of different things to get through.

“In my mornings I get straight into it: I wake up, hydrate, eat my breakfast and have a minute to myself. Then I’m straight into training.”

But she’s also learned the importance of protecting her mental space, starting with how she begins her day.

“I used to wake up and I got into a really bad habit of listening to things,” she explains. “I would put my AirPods in and go straight on to an audio book or podcast and I just felt a bit overwhelmed at that.

“I think you do need the time just to be with yourself. Now I try and listen to gentle sounds in the morning and that has helped my mood instead of constantly having something on or having to do something.”

Recovery plays a key role in her routine too.

“It will be having a bath,” Johnson-Thompson says. “I feel like the training load that I do is so much, so I like a hot bath.

“It’s great to take the time for my muscles to relax and also mentally taking the training load off. So this is something I try and do the day before comp or the day before my big sessions.”

Her training remains intense, particularly endurance sessions, which she admits don’t come naturally.

“In terms of intensity, it’s quite a lot,” she explains. “The running sessions to me are the hardest because that’s you pushing your body to the limit. My strengths aren’t aerobic, they are more sprint and power so it’s something I have to work very hard for. Then on Saturday’s we do a hill session as well.

Outside of athletics, it’s her support system, including her two dogs, that helps her stay grounded.

“They are 11 and 12 years old… They’ve been bringing me a lot of joy,” she says. “They’re just so silly and even though they’re old, they act like puppies.”

She also emphasises the importance of leaning on others during tougher times.

“I think it’s important to talk to people,” she says. “The worst thing you can do is keep things to yourself. You’ve got to look at your community and once you get it off your chest, you feel a little bit lighter.”

When it comes to confidence, she relies on consistency and self-reflection.

“Ultimately I just build that up day by day. In all the training I do, I keep a diary and I write down everything that I’ve done. You easily forget where you’ve come from and you need to just keep constantly reminding yourself.

And her advice for anyone looking to get more active this spring is simple: keep it enjoyable.

“It doesn’t have to be a regime,” she explains.

“My point is to be social with it. See your friends and just go for a walk or a jog to a coffee shop… Being social and doing exercise is the ultimate high.”

Johnson-Thompson is an ambassador for Radox, the Official Bath and Shower Partner of the TCS London Marathon, and will be cheering runners on at the marathon on April 26.