Amid the elation of an Olympic silver, one which felt as good as gold at her fourth Games in Paris, Johnson-Thompson also expressed her relief.
Ready to quit the sport when left mentally exhausted after Rio 2016, she fulfilled her world-beating potential by winning her first world gold in Doha three years later.
Physically broken in the aftermath of Tokyo, having recovered from a career-threatening Achilles rupture in just eight months to make the start line, she returned to the sport’s summit with a second global gold two years ago.
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place as she completed her rollercoaster journey to the Olympic podium – just two seconds from gold in the concluding 800m – yet it left Johnson-Thompson with a feeling she had not anticipated.
“It was strange because every time I’d done the Olympics, I’d come away from it really sad,” she said.
“This time I was happy with everything I did, and I had the medal to prove it, but I still had the same feeling of sadness.
“Now, the journey is so important to me. What you do and who you do it with along the way, the memories you create. I think I was just mourning the journey of getting ready for the Paris Olympics because it was such an incredible time.
“Building into it, believing in something and seeing it come to fruition is something I was so happy about. But now it’s over and it’s like ‘what are we going to do next?’
“That sadness I had after was something I didn’t realise would happen if it went well. It’s not just the medals, it’s the sense of purpose.”
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