Athletics: Sotherton aiming for magnificent seven to fire her to glory

Golden all-rounder is confident that, without Kluft, she can slip under the radar to grab heptathlon glory – as long as the javelin does not throw her off course. By Simon Turnbull Sunday, 6 July 2008 Kelly Sotherton is nestling on a chair in a room overlooking the empty lanes of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, and the chock-a-blocked carriageways of the M6 beyond. The Commonwealth heptathlon champion is not exactly sitting pretty in the world rankings five weeks ahead of the Beijing Olympics. That is because she has yet to contest a heptathlon this year, and won't in fact be doing so until the Olympic crown is on the line in the Bird's Nest Stadium. The clamour to pin the nation's hopes upon her shoulders has been deafeningly muted. It was the same last summer before the World Championships in Osaka. Sotherton was in... [read full story]