Tatyana Chernova, the 6ft 2in Russian who dethroned her at last summer’s World Championships in Daegu, finished a huge 132 points behind in second place, while Nataliya Dobrynska, the Ukrainian Olympic and world indoor champion, was a long way adrift on just 6,311 points in ninth place.
But Ennis said her record-breaking points total was not about sending a message to her rivals but proving to herself that she was capable of a big score.
“I wanted to do it for me, to prove to myself that I can do it, that I am capable of scoring a big score and that I am in good shape,” she said. “That gives me the self-belief and the mental capacity going forward.”
Ennis said the most important aspect of her weekend’s work was that if confirmed that she was in excellent shape just two months out from the Olympics.
The key now was to maintain her physical condition without risking the kind of devastating injury that wrecked her Olympic dreams four years ago when she suffered multiple stress fractures in her right foot at the same Götzis meeting.
“I am going to train sensibly,” she said. “I have done a big block of my work now, so it is freshening up, sharpening up and getting race sharp. It’s nice to be here in Olympic year and not be injured and have a great result as well.”
She said her recent defeats had been an impetus to work harder in training, and the weekend had reassured her that everything was going in the right direction.
Leading overnight on 4,113 after lowering her 200 metres lifetime best by a huge 0.31sec, Ennis knew that if she get could close to her personal bests in her three remaining events, it would be enough to overhaul the record set by Lewis in Talence, France, in 2000.
Her first event of the day, the long jump, provided the perfect platform as she leapt out to 6.51m with her third and final attempt, equalling her lifetime best and, crucially, beating Chernova in the Russian’s specialist event.
But it was the javelin, the event that proved Ennis’s nemesis at last year’s World Championships, that had the Sheffield athlete punching the air in celebration as she opened up with a huge throw of 47.11m — 40cm in excess of her lifetime best.
In the final event, the 800m, Ennis adopted her usual tactic of striking out from the front and crossed the line in 2-09.00 — the third fastest outdoor time of her career — before sinking to the ground in exhaustion.
But, in a telling moment, Chernova put in a desperate effort to catch her in the final straight, and passed her with a couple of strides to go. It was a clear message to the Briton that she has no intention of backing down in August. But there can be now doubt that the pendulum has now swung in Ennis’s direction, and it could not be better timed.
She made her breathrough with with her runaway victory at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Further multi-events triumphs in 2010 at the World Indoor Championships in Doha and the European Championships in Barcelona served only to cement her status as one of Britain’s outstanding gold-medal prospects for London.
But the first sign that the weight of expectation was beginning to weigh heavily on her shoulders emerged in Daegu last September where her disastrous javelin performance opened the door for Chernova to take her world crown.
Then, in Istanbul three months ago, she displayed more vulnerability under pressure when a misfiring long jump allowed Dobyrnska to walk away with her world indoor pentathlon crown.
That is why Sunday was so important. After losing two world titles, another defeat in her last heptathlon before London would have been a psychological hammer blow.
But, having complained in the past that too many people have been “hanging a gold medal around my neck” before the Olympics have even started, Ennis will not be getting too carried away.
Four years ago, the inconsistent Dobrynksa finished ninth in Götzis before going on to win Olympic gold in Beijing, and she is certain to be in far better shape in London than she was in Austria this weekend.
The Ukrainian admitted before the meeting that she had only been training properly for a month following the death from cancer of her husband and coach, Dmytro Polyakov, in March. Chernova, too, looked undercooked compared to her brilliant performance in Daegu.
Ennis said her next competition would be the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 7, where she would be taking part in the 100 metre hurdles, before she gets ready for the UK Olympic trials in Birmingham.
Ennis may have ensured her place in the history books, but she will need to run, jump and throw like she did over the last couple of days if she is to become Britain’s Olympic golden girl.
Heptathlon results
1. Jessica Ennis, Britain, 6,906 points.
2. Tatyana Chernova, Russia, 6,774.
3. Lyudmyla Yosypenko, Ukraine, 6,501.
4. Austra Skujyte, Lithuania, 6,493.
5. Lilli Schwarzkopf, Germany, 6,461.
6. Jessica Zelinka, Canada, 6,393.*
7. Dafne Schippers, Netherlands, 6,360.
8. Jennifer Oeser, Germany, 6,345.
9. Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukraine, 6,311.
10. Nadine Broersen, Netherlands, 6,298.
London 2012 providing boost to ‘Brand Britain’ - sportbusiness.com
A survey of 6,000 consumers by Deloitte, the official professional services provider to London 2012, found that around 80% of respondents from China and India are more likely to want to visit Britain in light of the publicity surrounding the Games. More than 60% say they would like to buy more British products, whilst 77% want to learn more about the UK as a whole. The research also shows that 76% of respondents in China and India associate the Olympic Games with the UK, a higher proportion than consumers elsewhere in Europe or the United States. Only the UK’s history, universities and London itself are attributes more closely associated with the UK in the minds of Chinese and Indian consumers.
“London 2012 clearly provides a direct and immediate opportunity for consumer businesses,” said Nigel Wixcey, UK head of consumer business at Deloitte. “However, our research shows the potential is there for a longer term benefit too, but only if companies are prepared to exploit the opportunity. As the global population is evolving, so consumer spending power is shifting. The emerging middle classes of China and India are increasingly powerful consumers of Western goods – both as visiting tourists and increasingly as strong consumer markets develop in their home countries. This trend will continue to accelerate over the next few years.”
Deloitte has noted that the impact of the publicity surrounding the Games has not been so pronounced in Europe and the US. However, despite this around half of consumers surveyed in France, Germany and the US said they are more interested in visiting Britain as a result of publicity surrounding the Games, whilst roughly a fifth would like to buy more British products.
Simon Oaten, director in the consumer business industry at Deloitte, added: “There has always been a strong underlying demand to visit Britain, but London 2012 is giving the UK a shot in the arm. Given the UK economy’s growth prospects, it is important for consumer businesses to develop relationships with overseas customers, particularly from markets such as India and China. Retailers and hospitality operators in the UK who understand the shifting global demographics will reap the rewards. London 2012 provides the UK with a unique moment, a unique competitive edge over other countries.”
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