London 2012: GOLD FOR BRITAIN! Ennis cements her place in history

Saturday, August 4, 2012
9:34 PM

Olympic heptathlon: GB golden girl bags the big prize

Jessica Ennis has scooped heptathlon gold with a stunning 800 metre victory and a new British record.

She had dominated the multi-event competition from the first day - when she set a new British 110m hurdle record - and after bursting down the final straight in the final two-lap race, roared on by a rapturous crowd, she raised her arms in celebration as she crossed the finish line before sinking to the ground, overcome with emotion.

When she got back up the 26-year-old went on a well-deserved lap of honour in front of the packed 80,000 stadium as a Union flag, marked with Ennis’ name and the title “Olympic Champion”, stayed draped around her shoulders or held aloft above her head.

She had set three personal bests in the previous six events meaning she went into the final discipline with a commanding 188-point lead that equated to a 13-second advantage over Lithuania’s Austra Skujyte.

Her winning 800m time of two minutes 8.65 seconds saw the 26-year-old top the heptathlon standings with 6955 points, while the second placed Russian challenger Tatyana Chernova could only amass 6628.