Commonwealth Games: Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the lead going into heptathlon finale

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is set for a testing finale to the Commonwealth Games heptathlon on Wednesday evening with a clutch of young rivals still in pursuit of the former world champion.

However Northern Ireland's Kate O'Connor, fifth on 4,451 points, could be the main threat to Johnson-Thompson.

The competition concludes with javelin and 800m on Wednesday evening.

Johnson-Thompson had an overnight advantage of 109 points and would have extended it by more, but for O'Dowda's huge long jump effort.

Aided by a tailwind, the 22-year-old soared out to 6.52m, 18cm beyond her previous best in the event.

Defending champion Johnson-Thompson produced a 6.33m best on her third and final attempt.

Previous form suggests that may be as good as it gets for O'Dowda though, with O'Connor likely to emerge out of the pack this evening.

The 21-year-old, who is competing in the individual javelin event later in the week, is a significantly stronger thrower than Johnson-Thompson.

O'Connor has got close to her 52.92m personal best this season, throwing 51.20m in June.

Johnson-Thompson is well down on those distances, with a season's best of 40.78m. The difference in their 2022 javelin bests is worth 200 points in O'Connor's favour.

Johnson-Thompson ran two minutes 7.26 seconds to seal her world title in Doha in 2019 but has not replicated anything like that time since. She clocked 2:19 at both the World Championships and the multi-event meeting in Gotzis this year.

O'Connor dropped her 800m personal best to 2:11.76 last year and was on course for the Tokyo Olympics before injury intervened.

She said before the Commonwealths she would only be content with a place on the podium. The top step could now be part of her plans.

Hudson-Smith revels in Birmingham homecoming

Matthew Hudson-Smith is interviewed after his 400m heat by Iwan Thomas, whose British record he beat earlier this season

Matthew Hudson-Smith enjoyed a triumphant homecoming from a bronze-winning World Championship.

The Birchfield Harrier strolled through the 400m heats and into Friday's semi-finals in 46.26 seconds, before pointing to the sky and the track beneath his feet in celebration.

"I'm not looking back, it's in the past," he said of his success in Oregon.

"I've said all year that it's three championships [Worlds, Commonwealths, Europeans] and I want three medals. We've got a plan for that and I'm relishing the opportunity.

"I've got a target on my back and I'm embracing it. I'm just going to sunbathe in the pressure of it."

In the women's one-lap heats, England's Victoria Ohuruogu qualified quickest in a time of 51.34 seconds with Scotland's Zoey Clark third fastest.

English 20-year-old 800m prospect Ben Pattison showed his quality, winning his heat ahead of Kenyan defending champion Wycliffe Kinyamal. Team-mate Jamie Webb and Scotland's Guy Learmonth will join him in the final.

England's Max Burgin, the fastest man in the world this year, may have withdrawn through injury while Kenyan world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir is stepping down to 400m in Birmingham, but Sunday evening's showdown still promises much.

Peter Bol, whose story of fleeing South Sudan as a child and courageous fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics endeared him to his home nation of Australia last summer, may be the one to beat.