Katarina Johnson-Thompson is not yet confident of speaking more than a word or two of French in public but the other lessons she has learned since her move to Montpellier last December are already paying dividends. After four events of the prestigious Hypomeeting, Johnson-Thompson leads a stellar field of heptathletes with 4,059 points, her best ever day-one performance, and appears on course for a massive personal best.

But the 24-year-old was not the only one to take advantage of the lightning fast new track in Götzis and temperatures that soared into the 80s. The Olympic champion, Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium, set two personal bests and equalled another to sit just three points behind in second, while the German Carolin Schäfer hit four PBs to be six points back in third.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson must ‘fall in love’ with heptathlon again at Götzis Read more

It is the first time in heptathlon history that three athletes have been over 4,050 on the opening day and it is all set up for an enthralling finale, with Johnson-Thompson having the edge on her rivals in the long jump and 800m but knowing that she is significantly worse than them in the javelin.

“I honestly didn’t expect to be leading,” she said. “I’m surprised at the shape that I’m in because I didn’t feel like I was in top form coming into this so I’m really happy. I want to stay competitive on Sunday but I also just want to return to how I was as a kid, just enjoying it.”

On the eve of the event Johnson-Thompson had stressed that she was setting her sights low. Rather than targeting a personal best, she merely want to fall in love with the heptathlon again after two years blighted by injuries and savage failures at the world championships and Olympic Games. Deep down, though, she knew the work she had put in with the highly respected Bertrand Valcin and his coaching group was making a difference. But she did not know whether those French lessons would remain robust in competition.

She need not have worried. It helped that she started well, running a PB of 13.31 in the 100m hurdles for a score of 1,081 points, despite clipping three hurdles. As she saw the time she put her hand over her mouth in shock before a huge smile broke out. It would not be the only one of the day.

Next was the high jump. In Rio, Johnson-Thompson and Thiam had enjoyed an epic battle, both setting PBs as they cleared 1.98m, and their rematch here was nearly as thrilling. Johnson-Thompson was initially flawless. Utilising a new seven-step run-up rather than her usual nine, she cleared 1.80m, 1.83m, 1.86m and 1.89m easily on her first attempts. Thiam, too, scooted over the bar with ease, until the two of them were the only ones left standing at 1.92m. But while Thiam cleared it first time, the Briton failed twice before producing a big jump to clear on her final attempt.

Her relief was palpable, the smile enormous. A few minutes later history repeated itself at 1.95m as, once again with the pressure on, Johnson-Thompson soared over the bar on her third attempt. Thiam, meanwhile, went one better – jumping 1.98m to lead after two events with 2,285 points, while the Briton was in second, 33 points back.

Next, however, came Johnson-Thompson’s nemesis, the shot put – the discipline that usually singes her confidence and chances of glory. While most of her rivals are capable of throwing between 13.50 and 15.50m, she has often struggled to go over 12m.

The initial signs were not promising. The first attempt blobbed out to just 11.71m. But aided by an some on-site coaching repairs from Valcin, she followed up a second round throw of 12.23m with a last-round effort of 12.72m – her best ever in a heptathlon. As she walked away, even Johnson-Thompson would have understood Valcin’s loud cry of “Allez, Kat!”

As she admitted afterwards, she was particularly delighted with how she had responded under pressure. “Obviously, I had a shaky first throw and I was happy that I was able to respond,” she said. “Normally I would go into meltdown mode.”

Her score of 709 meant she dropped only one place, to third, on 2,961 points. At the Olympics, a poor shot put had sent her tumbling from first to sixth.

Thiam, who threw 14.51m in the shot put, and Schäfer, whose 14.76m was her third PB in a row, were both ahead of her. But Johnson-Thompson knew that the final event of the day, the 200m, was the perfect opportunity to claw her way back into contention. By running 22.81 into a 2.9 metres per second headwind, her second fastest time ever, she went into the narrowest of leads.

Whatever happens on day two, Johnson-Thompson will surely beat her personal best of 6,682. More significantly, she has laid down a significant marker for the world championships in London this August. After two painful years, she is a contender again.