GB Heroes: Germany win shows Jessica Ennis-Hill is ready
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If Jessica Ennis-Hill were to successfully defend her Heptathlon Olympic Gold medal this summer in Rio, it would unquestionably go down as one of the greatest achievements in the modern games. And given the Sheffield athlete’s performance recently in Germany, she could do just that.
Ennis-Hill became one of 2012’s greatest stories as she stormed home on that famous night in the Olympic Stadium, to win the 800m and secure her place among the greats.
Four years on, and much has changed. Ennis-Hill is now married, and a mother, and for a while this season her Olympic hopes were hindered by an Achilles tendon injury.
At 30 years of age, this is arguably Ennis-Hill’s final chance to claim an Olympic gold, but after a storming performance in Germany this weekend, she looks plenty capable of another Heptathlon success this summer.
Competing in the seven-event tournament for the first time since claiming Gold at last year’s World Championships in China, Ennis-Hill raced, threw and leapt to victory at the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf event.
She claimed 33 points more than her World Championship total, and Ennis-Hill’s score of 6,733 was the second best this year.
The result will certainly be a marker to her expectant rivals in Brazil, namely Brianne Theisen-Eaton – who holds the world best this year – and Ennis-Hill’s likely successor, Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Canada’s Theisen-Eaton is another contender for Gold this year, the bookies finding it tough to split her and Ennis ahead of what should be a wonderfully competitive Heptathlon in Rio.
As for Johnson-Thompson, the Merseyside runner will have a spirited performance at London 2012 to call upon, when she placed 14th aged just 19.
She’s smashed all of her personal bests since then, and now 23, KJT is certainly a Gold medal contender this summer.
It won’t be a surprise to see Johnson-Thompson find favour among many supporters.
It’s set to be one of the most hotly-anticipated events in the entire Games, and for Team GB fans, there are two very good reasons to put it under the ‘unmissable’ category.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
