Six down, one to go: Jessica Ennis going for gold in heptathlon

Six down, one to go: Jessica Ennis going for gold in heptathlon with only the 800m left to run as she smashes personal best in javelin 

• Javelin: Jessica Ennis threw a lifetime best of 47.49m, smashing her previous personal best of 47.11m.
• Long Jump: Managed 6.40m in the second round and 6.48m in the third
• Heptathlete racked up a 188-point lead by mid-afternoon, setting her up for tonight's 800m run
• Crowds roar every time the 26-year-old steps up to compete 

By JILL REILLY

PUBLISHED: 14:19, 4 August 2012 | UPDATED: 16:26, 4 August 2012

Hopes of a gold medal are weighing constantly on her slender shoulders, but Jessica Ennis remains on target for an Olympic heptathlon win. 

In her first athletics competition in London, the heptathlete racked up a 188-point lead by mid-afternoon, setting her up for tonight's 800m run.

Ennis, the face of the Games, showed her gratitude to the 80,000 fans in the Olympic Stadium, waving as she received a standing ovation from the crowd as she left.

On course for victory: Ennis built on her impressive overnight lead in the heptathlon,throwing in the javelin is a lifetime best of 47.49m, smashing her previous personal best of 47.11m

Home support: The crowd cheered wildly as Ennis stepped out to compete

Concentration: Britain's Jessica Ennis prepares for the women's heptathlon javelin throw qualifications

Feeling positive: The 26-year-old gestures after taking a throw in the javelin

In what were widely expected to be two of the toughest rounds of the contest for Ennis, she put in a 6.48m long jump, making her just one of two athletes to earn more than 1,000 points in the sandpit.

The 26-year-old from Sheffield then threw a personal best of 47.49m in the javelin as her success continued.

Tens of thousands of British fans left athletes with no doubt over where their hearts lay as they cheered Ennis.

With just an 800m run tonight to go, Ennis is a strong contender to join Britain's golden girls on top of the podium.

Legacy: As the face of the London 2012 Games Ennis has been heavily featured in the coverage

Determined to achieve: A look of determination is etched on Ennis' face as she lands in the sand

Jumping to victory: Ennis built on her impressive overnight lead in the heptathlon, delighting a capacity crowd in the Olympic Stadium with superb performance in the long jump

Tense: It was a shaky start for the golden girl in the Long Jump - she stuttered a bit before the take-off board and landed a marker of 5.95m

Second time lucky: She was greeted with a massive cheer as she jumped 6.40m in the second round

Relief: Ennis punched the air in jubilation when she saw the distance, smiling widely 

SEVEN STEPS TO GLORY FOR ENNIS

YESTERDAY 

1. 100m Hurdles
Ennis's Personal Best: (PB): 12.79sec

World Record (WR): 12.62sec

Achieved: 12.54

2. High Jump 
PB: 1.95m WR: 1.97m

Achieved: 1.86m

3. Shot Put 
PB: 14.67m  WR: 17.29m

Achieved: 14.28m 

4. 200m 
PB: 22.80sec  WR: 22.30sec

Achieved: 22.83 

TODAY

5. Long Jump 

PB: 6.31m WR: 7.52m

Achieved: 6.48m

6. Javelin 

PB: 47.11m  WR: 56.36m

Achieved: 47.49m 

7. 800m - 8.35pm

PB: 2:07.81min  WR: 2:01.84

The flag-waving crowd went wild when her beaming smile was projected on the big screens in the stadium.

Draped in a Union flag, Amy Richards, 28, of Stoke Newington, north London, said she felt lucky to be part of the Olympics.

'They said there were two billion applications for some of the tickets in the stadium,' she said.

'It was unbelievable. The noise, the flags, the excitement - even the sun's come out.
'It's been an amazing day, absolutely amazing.'

She sent the Olympic stadium into raptures yesterday with Act One of a stellar heptathlon performance – then she got set for gold.

Ennis brought a capacity crowd to its feet with a sensational start to the athletics, setting a British record in the event for the 100-metre hurdles.

At one stage she was conducting applause from the track by raising her arms and turning 360 degrees around the vast Olympic stadium, creating the most electrifying atmosphere it has seen so far.

Go girl! Go Jess!’ they bellowed, chanting ‘En-nis! En-nis!’ until it reached a crescendo.

But the Sheffield-born champion was rendered ‘speechless’ when she saw her 12.54 second record for the 100-metre hurdles flash up on the scoreboard – a lifetime best, and equal to the gold medal winning time in the women’s hurdles in Beijing.

The amazing performance propelled her instantly to the top of the leader board, precisely the kind of start she needed. And still the crowd cheered.

Composed: After a shaky start Ennis celebrates after her second jump in the women's heptathlon Group B long jump event

Jubilant: Ennis had been in trouble with a first round jump of 5.95m, significantly down on her rival Tatyana Chernova's 6.54m. But she managed 6.40m in the second round and 6.48m in the third

‘Show us yer abs!’, a lone voice demanded as she took off her tracksuit for the high jump. (The 2012 poster girl has come to be known as the Ab Fab pin-up because of her enviable six-pack abdominal muscles and torso, repeatedly grandstanded yesterday to the delight of front-row spectators).

Sometimes the crowd cranked up the volume so much it drowned out the names of the athletes as they were announced on loudspeakers. When they clapped and stamped their feet, it vibrated all through the stands.

It just blew me away to be honest,’ Ennis said afterwards. ‘How much they got behind me was amazing. You try and prepare yourself but it’s nothing like you can imagine. It was a great start to the day.’

Will there be joy on Super Saturday? Jessica Ennis raises her arms in celebration after finishing the 200-metre race in the heptathlon competition yesterday

Event four: Jessica Ennis claims a personal best in the 200m to put her back in the driving seat for heptathlon gold

Thumbs up: Ennis is leading the way in the heptathlon after the first day of action at the Olympic Stadium

The athletics were conducted in breaks between a loudspeaker soundtrack that blared out hits from the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, among others – plus Bob Marley’s Sun is Shining when it pelted with rain for a few minutes, flooding uncovered areas in the stands and drenching lower-tier spectators in their seats.

Barely a single empty seat could be spotted inside the stadium when Ennis and her team-mates were in the arena.

Her parents Vinnie Ennis and Alison Powell were here – waving a Union Flag and cheering their daughter towards victory at every stage. ‘This is her dream,’ they said – then spoke of their hopes that she will achieve her ambition to win gold in front of a home crowd.

High hopes: Jessica Ennis fell slightly behind in the heptathlon after a disappointing shot put, but is expected to claw back some ground in the 200m

Jumping for victory: Jessica Ennis during the Women's Heptathlon High Jump at the Olympic Stadium

She has dreamed about this for so long,’ Miss Powell said. ‘It has been a long wait, and she has worked very hard.’

Elsewhere, crowds gathered at a giant screen in the Olympic Park, the Stratford equivalent of Wimbledon’s Murray Mount.

There was another in Sheffield’s Don Valley stadium, where she first ran as a 13-year-old. Her secondary school hosted a final ‘good luck’ celebration, and the city council appeared to have contingency plans to cope with a chaotic homecoming if she returns triumphant.

On the internet, Facebook mentions of ‘Ennis’ increased 600-fold around the time she chalked up her first stunning result.

But it meant Ennis, who was absent from Beijing four years ago through injury, is now under intense pressure to come up with a gold.

Uniquely in the public mind, and possibly in her own, winning mere silver would be regarded as failure. Tony Minichiello, her coach since childhood, said she was probably the only person in the British track-and-field team who, if she fails to win gold, it would be viewed as a loss.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183583/Jessica-Ennis-Athlete-going-gold-heptathlon-800m-left-run.html#ixzz22bEDKa5s