London 2012: Ennis wins Olympic title

The poster girl of London 2012 enjoyed her moment of glory in front of a packed Olympic Stadium on Saturday night.

In doing so, the 26-year-old set a new British record of 6955 points.

She was always in control of the heptathlon, having shattered a multitude of records with a sensational run in the 100m hurdles on Friday morning which set the tone.

And the face of London 2012 sealed her triumph with a stunning victory in the 800m.

She was cheered every step of the way by 80,000 fans inside a pumped-up Olympic Stadium as she claimed Britain’s first track and field gold of the Games.

Mo Farah won the 10,000m title for Britain and Greg Rutherford claimed gold in the long jump on a night that will live long in the memory of British sport.

“I am so shocked I can’t believe it,” said Olympic champion Ennis.

“After javelin, I didn’t let myself believe it. After all the hard work and disappointment of Beijing, everyone has supported me so much.

“They said ‘go for another four years’, I’ve done that.

“I’m going to savour the moment. I’ve had great support, although I have been under a huge amount of pressure.

“The crowd helped me and I can’t believe I’ve done it.”

Ennis set personal bests in the 100m hurdles, 200m and the javelin as she dominated the event.

The only person who could get close to her was Austra Skujyta of Lithuania as the big names such as Russia’s Tatyana Chernova and the United States’s Hyleas Fountain failed to mount a sustained challenge.

Ukraine’s Nataliya Dobrynska withdrew after the long jump on Saturday morning.

Ennis led after the four events on Friday, and only trailed once after Skujyte’s shot putt.

The Yorkshirewoman made her lead unassailable in the long jump with a leap of 6m48 and then the javelin with a personal best of 47m49.

She completed the job with a winning time of 2.08:65 in the 800m. She burst into tears before setting off on a lap of honour around a jubilant Olympic Stadium.

Middlesbrough’s Chris Tomlinson finished sixth in the long jump final, behind Greg Rutherford.

“It’s an opportunity missed and I’m disappointed I couldn’t get myself into the medals,” he said.