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PRAGUE (AP) — Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain won her first big title by claiming the women's pentathlon on the opening day of the European Indoor Championships on Friday.
Also, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France and Alina Talay of Belarus won the 60-meter hurdles sprint events at the O2 Arena.
The 22-year-old Johnson-Thompson won with a total of 5,000 points, only 13 less than the world record set by Ukraine's Nataliya Dobrynska in 2012. The result is the best in the world this season, a championship record and also the British record. Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium finished second, 304 points behind, and Eliska Klucinova of the Czech Republic was third.
"I have tears in my eyes but unfortunately not from happiness but unhappiness," Johnson-Thompson said. "This is my first major medal and national record. I appreciate it a lot. But I felt I was able to go even further and was ready for the world record."
Johnson-Thompson won four of the five disciplines — 60 meters hurdles, high jump, long jump and 800 meters. She placed 13th in the shot put.
The European under-23 champion dropped to second after the shot put with a throw 12.32 meters before reclaiming her lead with the best long jump of 6.89 and sealing the victory in the final 800 meters.
Martinot-Lagarde put behind him a disappointing third-place finish at last year's European Championships by leading a French sweep in the 60 hurdles. He crossed the finish line in 7.49 seconds, edging Dimitri Bascou by 0.01 while Wilhem Belocian was another 0.02 back in third in a tight finish.
Talay, who took silver at the 2013 championship in Goteborg, Sweden, led from the start to win in 7.85.
In the men's shot put, world champion David Storl of Germany won his first indoor title with a throw of 21.23 meters to beat defending champion Asmir Kolasinac of Serbia by 0.33. Ladislav Prasil of the Czech Republic was third with 20.66.
Michel Torneus of Sweden won gold in men's long jump with a world leading leap of 8.30, 0.20 ahead of Radek Juska of the Czech Republic and another Swede, Andreas Otterling.
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