Ennis-Hill claims gold after KJT implodes

Jessica Ennis-Hill has been crowned the heptathlon world champion just 13 months after giving birth.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s World Championship medal hopes have gone up in smoke after she failed to record a distance in the long jump.

Ennis-Hill’s odds to win Sports Personality of the Year were slashed, from 12/1 overnight to 2/1, as she completed her seven events 120 points ahead of her nearest rival, pre-race favourite Brianne Theisen Eaton.

Thiesen-Eaton did enough in the 8800m to claim the silver with 6554 points and the Latvian Laura Ikauniece-Admidina took bronze on 6516.

The experienced duo of Olympic champion Kirani James (44.56 seconds) of Grenada and US world champion LaShawn Merritt (44.51) barely strained as they safely negotiated the men’s 400m heats. “Juggling all my mummy duties and training has just been so hard”.

The first year of motherhood is one of trials and tribulations and one of the hardest (but most amazing) years of most mums’ lives.

Ennis-Hill gained the competitors with a season-best 6,669 factors, main from the second via the seventh occasions.

Their situations have changed markedly since their last heptathlon together, which could hardly be called the beginning of their rivalry, Ennis-Hill storming to a gold medal inside the Olympic Stadium at London 2012 while Johnson-Thompson finished a creditable 15th.

To put her achievement into context, no multi-eventer has ever come back to win a world title. “I’ve a feeling of slight disappointment because I’m always comparing myself to my best but I’m pleased with that score at the end of the day”.

Johnson-Thompson became tearful as she finished an interview with BBC reporter Phil Jones after the 800m.

“I don’t want to battle it out with Jess in the 800m because neither of us will give up”, she observed from the safety of Saturday night.

But her high-risk strategy backfired as she fouled her first two attempts and was red-flagged again despite landing a huge third jump.

“So I hope that I am an inspiration for other mums that you can do it and go out and do both really well”.

Ennis-Hill may allow herself a glass of champagne before flying home on Monday to continue the celebrations with her family, but she will still have an eye on matters in Beijing with Johnson-Thompson set to return to action.

“If I’d come away with a bronze medal I’d have been happy”. I couldn’t compete without knowing.

“On the last five meters, I kind of stumbled a bit”, said Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 100.