Sotherton gets Joyner-Kersee confidence vote
BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain's Kelly Sotherton has a great chance of winning Olympic gold in the heptathlon, according to world record holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
American Joyner-Kersee believes Sotherton has what it takes to add gold to her bronze from Athens four years ago, especially with some of her main rivals dropping out of contention.
Swede Carolina Kluft, the Olympic, world and European champion, decided not to compete in the Beijing heptathlon, while fellow Briton Jessica Ennis and Eunice Barber of France pulled out through injury.
"It seems like it is all coming together for her," Joyner-Kersee told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"Unfortunately Ennis is going to miss the Games with injury. Before that happened I thought that both were going to be in the medal counts so maybe she (Sotherton) could take gold," she said.
"She has great talent -- the key for her is going to be staying healthy," added Joyner-Kersee, who won the heptathlon and long jump gold medals in Seoul in 1988 and the heptathlon again in Barcelona four years later.
The 31-year-old Sotherton is one of Britain's best hopes for a gold medal despite having not competed in a full heptathlon this year due to a series of fitness problems.
She has suffered foot, back, and leg injuries as well as kidney failure but did win a four-event competition in London last month.
Her main rivals, Russia's Tatyana Chernova, American Hyleas Fountain and Ukraine's Lyudmyla Blonska have all enjoyed better form in the past year but Joyner-Kersee said that may actually help Sotherton.
"You don't want to get caught in the expectations of other people," Joyner-Kersee said. "You have to make sure that you peak for the Olympic Games.
"That is where coaches come in -- making sure you focus on the mechanics of a particular tasks and it is one of the advantages of multi-event people that you are able to focus on one area at a time."
Joyner-Kersee, who speaks on health issues for pharmacy company Medco, holds the world heptathlon record with 7,291 points set at the 1988 Olympics.
(Writing by Simon Evans; Editing by Ed Osmond)
