Jessica Ennis of Great Britain competes in the women's Heptathlon (© Getty Images)
World leading heptathlete Jessica Ennis (GBR) started the Heptathlon competition with a 12.93s clocking in the 100m Hurdles, her best ever result during a Heptathlon. The 23-year-old Briton, who missed the Olympics last season because of an injury, has scored 6587 total points this season for a world lead. Here in Berlin Ennis took a huge lead by 76 points after the first event. Ennis has run 12.81s 100m Hurdles earlier this season missing the British record just by 0.01 seconds and is now the favourite to win the competition at the World Championships having scored 1135 points in the first event.
Second fastest in the hurdles was Antoinette Nana Dijmou (FRA) lowering her three-year-old personal best by 0.11 seconds to 13.44s. Sara Aerts (BEL) is in third place after the first event with 1058 points following a 13.45s performance.
All the other medal favourites in the total competition started quite near their own level. Reigning Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska (UKR) hurdled to a 13.85s result giving her three points more than in her season’s best 6558p heptathlon and is in 19th place after the first event. The Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Chernova (RUS) equalled the result from her SB series, 13.58s giving her sixth place in the total competition. The other two Ukrainians, Lyudmyla Yosypenko and Hanna Melnychenko are also in contention for the medals after the first event. Yosypenko ran 13.64s for 10th place and Melnychenko 13.60s for eighth place but both should be moving up in the rankings later in the competition.
Germans had a disappointing start with Jennifer Oeser, who was seventh in Osaka, starting only with 13.62s, well below her best times and 2006 European Championships bronze medallist Lilli Schwarzkopf running 13.80s.
The next event, High Jump, will see some big changes at the top of the overall points with Jessica Ennis with a possibility to extend her lead. Ennis has jumped 1.90m in her season’s best Heptathlon and has a 1.95m personal best during a Heptathlon in 2007 which makes her a co-holder of the British High Jump record. Sharon Day (USA) is the other 1.90m jumper this season.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
Second fastest in the hurdles was Antoinette Nana Dijmou (FRA) lowering her three-year-old personal best by 0.11 seconds to 13.44s. Sara Aerts (BEL) is in third place after the first event with 1058 points following a 13.45s performance.
All the other medal favourites in the total competition started quite near their own level. Reigning Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska (UKR) hurdled to a 13.85s result giving her three points more than in her season’s best 6558p heptathlon and is in 19th place after the first event. The Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Chernova (RUS) equalled the result from her SB series, 13.58s giving her sixth place in the total competition. The other two Ukrainians, Lyudmyla Yosypenko and Hanna Melnychenko are also in contention for the medals after the first event. Yosypenko ran 13.64s for 10th place and Melnychenko 13.60s for eighth place but both should be moving up in the rankings later in the competition.
Germans had a disappointing start with Jennifer Oeser, who was seventh in Osaka, starting only with 13.62s, well below her best times and 2006 European Championships bronze medallist Lilli Schwarzkopf running 13.80s.
The next event, High Jump, will see some big changes at the top of the overall points with Jessica Ennis with a possibility to extend her lead. Ennis has jumped 1.90m in her season’s best Heptathlon and has a 1.95m personal best during a Heptathlon in 2007 which makes her a co-holder of the British High Jump record. Sharon Day (USA) is the other 1.90m jumper this season.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
