Britain�s Jessica clinches world heptathlon title

AFP, BEIJING: Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill completed a fairytale comeback by winning her second world heptathlon title on Sunday following an astonishing meltdown by fellow Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Ennis-Hill, returning to the sport after giving birth last year and battling a series of niggling injuries, was all but gift-wrapped the gold medal in Beijing after Johnson-Thompson failed to post a mark in the long jump.
World champion in 2009, Ennis-Hill capped a memorable two days by storming home to win the final 800 metres heat in 2min 10.13sec to finish as the runaway winner with a total of 6,669 points at the Bird’s Nest stadium, a season’s best.
Canada’s Commonwealth Games winner Brianne Theisen-Eaton, the gold medal favourite coming into the competition, settled for silver with 6,554 while Latvian Laura Ikauniece-Admidina claimed bronze with a national record 6,516.
A disconsolate Johnson-Thompson finished 28th and last on 5,039 points with eight competitors having previously dropped out.
The 22-year-old came unstuck after unwisely deciding to go for broke in the long jump, attacking the board aggressively in a bid to claw back some of Ennis-Hill’s overnight advantage in the sweltering conditions. But her high-risk strategy backfired as she fouled her first two attempts and was red-flagged again despite landing a huge third jump.

Britain�s Jessica clinches world heptathlon title

AFP, BEIJING: Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill completed a fairytale comeback by winning her second world heptathlon title on Sunday following an astonishing meltdown by fellow Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Ennis-Hill, returning to the sport after giving birth last year and battling a series of niggling injuries, was all but gift-wrapped the gold medal in Beijing after Johnson-Thompson failed to post a mark in the long jump. World champion in 2009, Ennis-Hill capped a memorable two days by storming home to win the final 800 metres heat in 2min 10.13sec to finish as the runaway winner with a total of 6,669 points at the Birds Nest stadium, a seasons best. Canadas Commonwealth Games winner Brianne Theisen-Eaton, the gold medal favourite coming into the competition, settled for silver with 6,554 while Latvian Laura Ikauniece-Admidina claimed bronze with a national record 6,516. A disconsolate Johnson-Thompson finished 28th and last on 5,039 points with eight competitors having previously dropped out. The 22-year-old came unstuck after unwisely deciding to go for broke in the long jump, attacking the board aggressively in a bid to claw back some of Ennis-Hills overnight advantage in the sweltering conditions. But her high-risk strategy backfired as she fouled her first two attempts and was red-flagged again despite landing a huge third jump.