The task was facilitated by the resignation of the world champion British athlete Katarina Johnson – Thompson.
In a total of seven disciplines, Tiam scored 6791 points in two days in hot and humid weather.
Silver was won by Anuka Fetere from the Netherlands with 6689 points and a new national record, but Emma Ostervēgele, a member of Fetere’s team, won a bronze medal with a personal record (p. 6590).
“It’s such a good feeling. I can’t believe it,” Tiama said. “I’m so emotional I can’t describe it.”
On the first day of the competition, the 26-year-old Belgian completed the 100-meter hurdles in 13.54 seconds, overcame the bar at 1.92 meters in high jump, pushed the ball 14.82 meters and ended the day with 24.90 seconds in 200 meters.
On the second day, she reached 6.60 meters in long jump, 54.68 meters in javelin and 800 meters in two minutes and 15.98 seconds.
“The first day was difficult for me,” Tiama said. “So on the second day I really had to concentrate. I knew I had to do something really good in long jump and javelin throwing.”
The trauma and the Covid-19 pandemic determined that this was the first time since the Doha World Cup in 2019 that Tiama and Johnson-Thompson fought in a seven-way fight.
However, a British athlete, who broke Achilles’ band earlier this year and returned to competition at the end of June, injured the caviar muscles at a distance of 200 meters.
Tiam, who won the title of European champion in the premises with a national record (p. 4904) in March, was stimulated to achieve the maximum results by the leader after the first day and also after the long jump Fetere.
The Dutch athlete lost the lead after lagging behind by Tiam by 51.20 meters, more than three meters behind.
Therefore, the 28-year-old European champion, who took the tenth place in the Rio Games, had to beat Tiam by 4.5 seconds in the 800-meter distance.
Her personal record was 2.5 seconds slower than Tiam, and Fetere failed.
“In the 800-meter distance, I was hoping to do a little more, but I think it was a really positive race, and in the end I won a medal. I’m so happy,” Tiama said.
“I started the year in a wheelchair and wasn’t ready to end the Olympics in the same way,” she explained on Twitter on the fact that she refused help, running slowly to the finish line without help after an injury of 200 meters.
“I have lost my peace of mind knowing that the work my team and I have done over the last eight months has ended with this outcome, and I hate this story of mine, which has become even more painful,” adds the athlete.
“I’ve been hit the ground so many times and got up again, but I will need a lot of time to come to terms with this reality,” says the athlete.
British athlete Jessica Ennis and Canadian Brianne Teizena Ītona finished in Rio de Janeiro behind Tiam, while Latvian athlete Laura Ikauniece took the fourth place.
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