Ennis-Hill reasserts her class on mixed day for British pair

The 29-year-old claimed the comprehensive win after going into the final race with an 86 point lead.

She was second overnight with her best event to come.

“Today is just about getting through the rounds”, she said, sporting long green hair and a sunflower headband.

British officials lodged a protest but quickly withdrew it and accepted the decision, leaving the Liverpool-born 22-year-old with no chance of a medal. She said: “I can’t believe I’m here in the Birds Nest”.

Olympic champion Ennis-Hill jumped 6.43 meters to increase her overall score to 4,990 points. My run-up was faulty and so I was glad to get over 1.89m in the end.

But a British one-two, which appeared a genuine possibility after the first day, will now not happen after Johnson-Thompson’s disastrous morning. In an instant, the contest turned.

She had put herself into a commanding position after the long jump and javelin, jumping for a season’s best of 6.43m, throwing 42.51m.

The day was a stark contrast for Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who fouled out of the long jump, ending her World Championship medal hopes.

Latvia’s Laura Ikauniece-Admidina took the bronze medal with 6,516 points.

Ennis-Hill’s commanding lead is part due to her own brilliance, revealing the consistently high standard of performance across the competition which was her hallmark pre-motherhood. As her opponents fell away through pressure or imperfection, she powered on.

Ahead of his campaign which starts with the heats on Wednesday, Farah said: “Hopefully it didn’t take too much out of me”. As it turns out, this remarkable sportswoman will return with a gold around her neck.

A crushed and tearful Johnson-Thompson said yesterday: ‘This is the last place I wanted to be right now’.

Johnson-Thompson had continued competing after her long jump disappointment, knowing that if she was to pull out of her competition, she could risk not being allowed to compete in the long jump.

“I was a little conservative, but just enough to win”. It feels incredible’.

She added: “It was just a massive surprise to even be here to be honest”.

‘I would have just stayed at home and done something else’. To have won the gold is better still.

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

Olympic champion Chen Ding, who also won silver in Moscow, went out hard but was unable to maintain his early pace in the sweltering humidity and eventually finished ninth, giving China three walkers in the top 10.

“Everything has been so hard”.