Jessica Ennis competes in the pentathlon 60m hurdles at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships (© Getty Images)
A last round personal best 14.79 put Jessica Ennis back on World record course as the British athlete found herself under pressure to perform following her disappointing showing in the High Jump.
A world class high jumper, Ennis had to be content with a 1.87 clearance in the morning and a loss of 91 points on her overall tally as she failed to clear 1.90, a height she has cleared more than a dozen times in her career.
However, the defending champion had no time to feel sad for herself as a short half hour later she was already back in the field to set the record straight in the Shot Put.
And she did so with her final attempt of the day which was measured at a new personal best distance of 14.79 worth 847 points.
Ennis’ performance was cheered by a substantial group of British supporters who clearly understood the need for Ennis to score big.
After three events, Ennis’ total of 3064 is 43 points better than her score in Doha 2 years ago. Based on her personal record performances and with only 2 events left on the programme Ennis is now on course to score 4989 points, only 2 points off Irina Belova’s World Indoor record.
Behind Ennis, Tatyana Chernova is clearly not having the best day of her life having to be content with a 13.90 performance in the Shot Put, more than 60 centimetres off her best mark.
Chernova now trails an unexpected fifth overall with 2880 points, a position the Daegu World champion certainly didn’t expect to find herself in with two events to go, although she is an excellent long jumper and 800 runner.
The defending silver medallist Natallia Dobrinska won the Shot Put event with a last round 16.51 worth 962 points, the Ukrainian Olympic champion jumping back into third overall a mere 19 points behind the surprising Austra Skujyte.
Having scored personal bests in the first two events, the Lithuanian managed a 16.26 effort in the Shot Put, the second best of the day, to score 946 points and find herself second with an overall total of 3054 points after 3 events; surprisingly just 10 points adrift of Ennis who has held the lead since the first event this morning.
With three athletes - Ennis, Skujyte and Dobrynska - within 29 points in the top three positions and with only the Long Jump and 800m events to go, anything can happen in what is proving to be a very exciting competition.
Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF
