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Jessica Ennis, centre, on her way to winning heat 5 of the Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles. Adam Davy/PA Wire
London 2012

Team GB's golden girl Ennis sets scorching pace in heptathlon

It was the perfect start in the gruelling seven-discipline event for London 2012′s poster girl, with the high jump, shot put and 200m to come later in the day.

BRITAIN’S OLYMPIC DARLING Jessica Ennis clocked the fastest ever time for a heptathlete in the 100m hurdles on the opening day of athletics this morning.

Ennis, the current world silver medallist, timed a scorching personal best and new British record of 12.54sec in brilliant sunshine in front of an 80,000-capacity crowd at the Olympic Stadium. If Derval O’Rourke – a hurdling specialist clocked the same time in her event, she’s have a medal in the bag.

The time was faster than American Kellie Wells’ victory in the 100m hurdles at last month’s London Diamond League, in which the event’s world champion Sally Pearson was beaten into second.

It was the perfect start in the gruelling seven-discipline event for Ennis, with the high jump, shot put and 200m to come later in the day.

Former world champion Ennis, who most recently won silver medals in the 2011 worlds in Daegu and world indoor pentathlon in Turkey in March, missed the Beijing Olympics through injury, and is under pressure to perform from an expectant public.

Points race

The 26-year-old bagged 1,195 points for her hurdles, with Canadian Jessica Zelinka second in 12.65sec and American medal hopeful Hyleas Fountain third fastest in 12.70sec. Defending Olympic champion Natallia Dobrynska of Ukraine, who won the 2012 world indoor pentathlon title in a world record total just days before her husband and coach Dmytro Polyakov died, clocked a season’s best of 13.57sec, more than 1.0sec and 155pts off Ennis.

Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova only managed the 15th fastest time of 13.48sec to leave her 142 points adrift. The heptathlon concludes tomorrow after the long jump, javelin and 800m.

Ireland’s track campaign gets underway when Joanne Cuddihy goes in the 400m heats at around midday.

- © AFP, 2012

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