Ennis runs into form to deliver impressive results in Sheffield

The London 2012 gold medal prospect opened her indoor season by winning two titles, setting two season’s best marks and equalling a personal best at the Aviva UK Trials and Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

All in all, it was an accomplished display from the 26-year-old over two days of action in front of a sell-out crowd.

She won the high jump title and increased her season’s best in the shot putt on Saturday before twice equalling her personal best of 7.95secs in winning the 60m hurdles yesterday.

“To run that time back to back is great,” said Ennis, who will defend her pentathlon title at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul in March.

“It’s been a good weekend to be doing season’s bests and close to PBs.”

Ennis began the weekend, and indeed the season, in promising fashion with victory in a tense high jump competition on Saturday.

The Olympic heptathlon hope – who opted against competing in the long jump yesterday – cleared 1.91m at the first attempt.

That equalled her best clearance of the previous year and banished the bad memories from exactly 12 months ago when she pulled up during the high jump in Sheffield with a swollen ankle and calf which ended her indoor season.

What will have pleased Ennis most, though, was that she was challenged from start to finish by Emma Perkins who cleared 1.89m at the first attempt, pressuring Ennis who failed on her first two jumps at the height.

She did, though, clear it on the final attempt and took the title by clearing 1.91m straight away.

Although she failed to equal her personal best of 1.94m, Ennis said: “I’m pleased with that for a first competition of the season.

“It helped being pushed all the way and what also helped was going down to a third attempt at 1.89m and then making it, because that adds a different pressure and requires a different state of mind.

“It’s always good to have a battle because that’s what you expect in the heptathlon and pentathlon.

“I wanted to be in the 1.90s though because that’s what I’ll need in Istanbul.”

She followed her success in the high jump by earning a season’s best in the shot putt with her second throw of 14.09m.

That was enough for sixth place in an event where improvement was her only realistic aim.

“I said beforehand I wanted to throw in the 14s so I’m relatively happy to have done that,” said Ennis, who will go head-to-head with her vanquisher from last year’s world outdoor championships – Tatyana Chernova – in Istanbul.

“It would have been nice to build on the 14.09m in later rounds but at least I’m throwing in that area because that’s what I’ll need at the worlds.”

Ennis plans to turn her attentions to the long jump in Birmingham this coming Saturday.

Richard Buck endured a frustrating weekend. The three-times UK 400m champion could only manage the bronze medal and missed out on the qualifying standard for Istanbul.

The 25-year-old City of York runner needed to clock a time of 46.90 seconds in winning the title to book his place in the Turkish capital.

And after running 46.98s in his heat, and 47.01s in the semi-final, that time looked well within his reach.

But Buck could only manage 47.10s in the final as he came home behind Nigel Levine in 46.28s.

Buck, a four-time medallist in major international indoor meets, will now have to try to get the time in Birmingham on Saturday.

The Loughborough-based athlete said: “Runs like that show that a level of consistency in training is paying off.

“But when you get to the worlds these are the sort of times that might not get you out of the heat, so I have to push on again in Birmingham.”

Sheffield’s Thomas Phillips finished sixth in the final in a time of 47.54.

Luke Cutts beat his season’s best in the pole vault by clearing 5.45m but the bar being raised 10cm proved a height too far for the 23-year-old from Barnsley, who finished fourth. The former European junior silver medalist has a chance in Birmingham next week to get the qualifying mark of 5.72m for Istanbul, though his personal best of 5.62m suggests he would need a considerable improvement over the coming days.

Yesterday’s big story came in the men’s 60m where Dwain Chambers ensured he will be able to defend his World Indoor title next month with a hard-fought victory.

But the 33-year-old then admitted he also has one eye on the London Olympics ahead of the court case which will decide if he can compete on home soil this summer.

The British Olympic Association will argue before the Court of Arbitration for Sport on March 12 that the BOA’s by-law, which bans convicted drugs cheats from competing in the Olympic Games, does not violate the World Anti-Doping Association code.

Chambers, cyclist David Millar and other athletes convicted of doping offences are currently ineligible to compete at London 2012, but if CAS find the BOA’s by-law to be non-compliant with the world anti-doping code, they will be cleared to be selected for Team GB.

“I have to prepare and if the door opens at least I am prepared and I can compete to the best of my ability,” said Chambers.