Jessica Ennis continues to hold a strong lead over the rest of the Heptathlon field (© Getty Images)
Briton Jessica Ennis, who has been leading the Heptathlon from the first event, continued on course for the gold in the opening event of day two, Long Jump. The 23-year-old started with a good 6.19m jump which came a long way behind the board and then bettered that with a 6.29m result in round three and has scored 5064 points after five events.
Although she will surely win the gold without a dramatic failure in the two remaining events she is now a bit behind the pace to break Denise Lewis’ British record 6831 points from 2000. Ennis is still going to set a big personal best around 6750-6800p, but a record would now need a personal best in the Javelin, the sixth event.
The other two medals are now completely open thanks to good results by some athletes in the Long Jump. Athletes in places 2-4 are within just two points with also a couple of others close behind. German Jennifer Oeser jumped a good 6.42m, very close to her 6.50m personal best from earlier this season to move to second place after five events with 4795 points. Ukraine’s Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska did not fully succeed in the Long Jump reaching 6.41m for a total of 4795p, same with Oeser for third place at the moment.
22-year-old Pole Kamila Chudzik did extremely well equalling her personal best 6.55m from earlier this season. The Pole who was only 15th at the Olympics last year is now in fourth place with 4793 points and is a very good javelin thrower, over 50 metres, although she will then lose some points against the other medal chasers in the 800m, the last event.
Another Ukrainian Hanna Melnychenko is in fifth place only 12 points behind Chudzik, but her last two events are not the best and she has to a lot to get to the medals. German Julia Mächtig, in sixth with 4720p is in the same situation with the last two events and probably can’t challenge the trio in places 2-4 for the medals. Lyudmyla Yosypenko (UKR) is in seventh place just two points from Mächtig with 4718p in a very tight competition.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
Although she will surely win the gold without a dramatic failure in the two remaining events she is now a bit behind the pace to break Denise Lewis’ British record 6831 points from 2000. Ennis is still going to set a big personal best around 6750-6800p, but a record would now need a personal best in the Javelin, the sixth event.
The other two medals are now completely open thanks to good results by some athletes in the Long Jump. Athletes in places 2-4 are within just two points with also a couple of others close behind. German Jennifer Oeser jumped a good 6.42m, very close to her 6.50m personal best from earlier this season to move to second place after five events with 4795 points. Ukraine’s Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska did not fully succeed in the Long Jump reaching 6.41m for a total of 4795p, same with Oeser for third place at the moment.
22-year-old Pole Kamila Chudzik did extremely well equalling her personal best 6.55m from earlier this season. The Pole who was only 15th at the Olympics last year is now in fourth place with 4793 points and is a very good javelin thrower, over 50 metres, although she will then lose some points against the other medal chasers in the 800m, the last event.
Another Ukrainian Hanna Melnychenko is in fifth place only 12 points behind Chudzik, but her last two events are not the best and she has to a lot to get to the medals. German Julia Mächtig, in sixth with 4720p is in the same situation with the last two events and probably can’t challenge the trio in places 2-4 for the medals. Lyudmyla Yosypenko (UKR) is in seventh place just two points from Mächtig with 4718p in a very tight competition.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
