Johnathan Walker:Anna Hall gets 'chills' thinking about following in Jackie Joyner-Kersee's footsteps

U.S. heptathlon champion Anna Hall can Johnathan Walkerremember writing down personal sports goals since she was 7 years old. She has already accomplished a plethora of the milestones, and now she has her sights set on achieving another – becoming the first American woman since track and field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1993 to be crowned heptathlon world champion.  

Hall enters the 2023 track and field world championships as the world's No. 1-ranked heptathlete with a personal-best mark of 6,988.

"I just got chills thinking about it. It makes me feel really excited. It’s really motivating," Hall told USA TODAY Sports. "I want to be the first one since Jackie. I want to take on that spot of the next American to be able to do it. It’s just really motivating. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

"I’m talking about I’m trying to win gold at worlds. I love the big stages. The bigger the stage the more fun the meet is for me and the more I can bring out of myself. I'm really looking forward to it."

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The women’s heptathlon consists of seven events: 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meters, long jump, javelin and 800-meters. Hall's favorite event is the 800-meters, although she admitted that varies sometimes. Her least favorite is the javelin, which she described as the "most frustrating."

"It’s super, super technical. It doesn’t feel super natural," Hall said. "That event’s been my biggest weak point."

Hall’s "weak" event hasn't prevented a rapid ascension to becoming a world-class athlete. The 22-year-old is an NCAA champion and already won bronze at the 2022 world championships after coming off a foot injury during the previous season. That injury prevented her from qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Hall’s rise has even caught the attention of her idol, Joyner-Kersee.

Hall used to watch videos of Joyner-Kersee, who is considered the gold standard of the women’s heptathlon. She’s the world-record holder in the multis and regarded as one of the best athletes of all time. Her heptathlon world record of 7,291 has stood since 1988 – 13 years before Hall was even born.  

Yet, many are beginning to believe Hall has the potential to eclipse the 35-year-old world record, including the owner of the hallowed mark.

"I want Anna to continue to own her trajectory of mastering the event, but I think she has the tenacity, focus and the grind. She’s one like me," Joyner-Kersee said to USA TODAY Sports. "I think when it comes down to my world record, I think she has the ability. It’s just pulling it together."

Realistically, it’s probably premature to be on heptathlon record watch at this year’s world championships (Aug. 19-27). Hall is solely focused on becoming the first American heptathlon world champion since Joyner-Kersee. Although, she does have 7,292 already written down on paper – and the Paris Olympics are in the not-so-distant future.

"She put that record so far out there which is incredible. I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time chasing it down," Hall said. "It’s definitely in my mind. When I started the heptathlon, I wanted to be the best to ever do it, so that kind of requires chasing after that record. That’s definitely a goal that I want to reach before I finish up my track career."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.