Ennis applies early pressure in the Pentathlon – Euro Indoors, Day 1, AM - WOMEN

Birmingham, UKWhile Sweden’s Carolina Kluft, the reigning World, Olympic and European Heptathlon champion dispelled any doubt about her 2007 form, it was Briton Jessica Ennis who stole the initial thunder in the Pentathlon as the 29th European Indoor Athletics Championships got underway this morning at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

Kluft, who hasn’t lost a combined events competition since March of 2002, began with an 8.20 season’s best in the 60m Hurdles, the morning’s fastest, just .01 seconds off of her performance in Madrid two years ago which paved the way to her 4948 national record. But with solid 8.22 and 8.23 performances respectively, Britons Jessica Ennis Kelly Sotherton trailed closely behind, immediately applying the pressure on the heavily-favoured Swede.

That pressure continued during a stellar High Jump competition, a contest which eventually resulted in personal bests by 10 of the 15 competitors. Among them was Ennis, whose second attempt 1.91 clearance was the morning’s best. A pair of solid attempts at 1.94 underscored the 21-year-old Commonwealth Games bronze medallist’s stellar 2007 form and propelled her into the lead after two events with 2198 points, 34 ahead of Kluft, who topped out at 1.88. Sotherton too cleared 1.88, a massive six centimetre improvement for the 30-year-old Olympic bronze medallist, to land in her in third place overall with 2157 points, just seven behind the Swede.

“It’s a brilliant day so far,” said Ennis, whose 4401 career best tally is clearly under danger today. “The high jump was excellent as I didn’t expect to get 1.91.”

Kluft, who leaped 1.93 en route to her 2005 title, appeared energized despite not reaching a season’s best in the event. “This is a very good competition already!” she said.

Dutch medal hope Karin Ruckstuhl was fourth after the second event with 2141 points, with Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukraine’s defending bronze medallist, fifth.

[UPDATE AFTER EVENT 3 - After a 14.57 personal best in the Shot Put, Kelly Sotherton took a narrow two-point lead in the Pentathlon after three events. Defending champion Carolina Kluft, who threw a season's best 14.43, remained in second position with 2987 points. Ukraine's Nataliya Dobrynska reached a season's best of 15.76 to move into third place, while the best throw of the session was turned in by Austra Skujyte, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist from Lithuania, who threw 16.48, to move into fourth with 2949 points. Jessica Ennis managed a 13.28 effort to drop from first to fifth with 2944 points, 20 ahead of Karin Ruckstuhl.]

Open rounds, no major surprises

Portugal’s defending Long Jump champion Naide Gomes dispensed with the formalities early in Long Jump qualifying, opening with a 6.68 leap to lead a surprisingly solid qulaifying group. Latvian Ineta Radevica, fifth at both the 2005 and 2006 European and World Indoor Championships, reached a personal best 6.67, while both Spaniard Concepcion Montaner and Germany’s Bianca Kappler reached 6.60.

In the opening round of the women’s 400, Ilona Usovich of Belarus, fourth two years ago in Madrid, led all qualifiers after coasting to a 51.86 season’s best. World leader Nicola Sanders of Great Britain won her heat in 52.15, just ahead of Olesya Zykina. Only four women were eliminated in the first round, most notable among those was Croatia’s Danijela Grgic, the World junior champion.