Sunday, August 16, 2009

Britain's Jessica Ennis make perfect start to heptathlon in Berlin


Britain's Jessica Ennis completed a perfect morning's work in her bid for gold in the World Championships heptathlon in Berlin by winning the first two events.

The 23-year-old, who was fourth in the last worlds in Osaka two years ago but who missed the Beijing Olympics after sustaining three stress fractures in her right ankle, recorded field leads of 12.93sec in the 100m hurdles and 1.92m in the high jump.

After waiting until the bar was at 1.74m before entering the competition, Ennis cleared each height at the first attempt before needing two jumps to clear 1.92m.

She then failed with three attempts to equal her personal best and British record of 1.95m

The first two results left Ennis on 2,267 points, with American Sharon Day in second on 2,086 and Ukraine's Lyudmyla Yosypenko a further two points adrift.

Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska was in sixth spot on 2,016.

"I'm really pleased," said Ennis, whose personal best of 6,587 points – set on her comeback from injury earlier this season – is the best in the world this year. "I was quite nervous about the hurdles, I had it in the back of my mind that something was going to go wrong but it was good.

"It's a massive relief that it's started. Once you start, the nerves go and you can start to enjoy it a bit."

Tonight's session features the shot, one of Ennis' weaker events, and the 200m, and she added: "Hopefully I can hold onto my lead in the shot."

Team-mate Louise Hazel won her hurdles heat in 13.60 to lie joint seventh but slipped back to 16th after a best of 1.71m in the high jump.

The men's 100m heats saw Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt lock horns - with Gay emerging the fastets qualifier.

The American ran 10.16secs in winning his heat with Britain's Dwain Chambers clocking 10.18, 0.02 faster than Olympic gold British number one Simeon Williamson and team-mate Tyrone Edgar also advanced by finishing second in their heats in 10.34 and 10.42s respectively.

Chambers said: "I'm fully confident that I will run faster this afternoon. You can run fast in grand prix races but this is a championship. Some people crack, I just have to make sure I don't."

Defending champion Christine Ohuruogu was drawn in the same heat of the 400m as her great rival Sanya Richards and the pair safely advanced to the second round.

Richards, who has run under 50 seconds five times this season, won in 51.06secs with Ohuruogu second in 51.30.

Nicola Sanders, second behind Ohuruogu in Osaka two years ago, also advanced after finishing second in her heat in 51.64.

Britain's Carl Myerscough made it through to the final of the shot after finishing 10th of the 12 qualifiers with a best of 20.17m.

The 29-year-old from Blackpool said: "Everything went pretty much to plan. I warmed up well and I was first to throw.

"The opening round is always tense but I got a decent first throw which is very important and that was good enough to get through to the final."

However, there was disappointment for Helen Clitheroe in the 3,000m steeplechase as she failed to qualify for the final after finishing ninth in her heat.

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