JESSICA ENNIS-HILL sent out a warning to her Olympic rivals after refusing to let bad weather rain on her parade.
The 30-year-old, who won heptathlon gold at London 2012, is bidding to make history in Rio and become the first British woman to win back-to-back Olympic titles on the track.
She faced her first real test before Rio when she competed in pouring rain at the MehrKampf Meeting in the small German town of Ratingen – her first heptathlon since she won the world title in an astonishing comeback in Beijing last August.
Ennis-Hill ended the first day just FIFTEEN points short of the 4,005 points she posted after four events at the Bird’s Nest Stadium en route to world gold.
In her curtain-raiser a year ago in Gotzis in Austria – her first heptathlon since winning Olympic gold after giving birth to son Reggie in 2014 – she notched up 3,928pts on the opening day.
But she admitted: “I’m a little bit frustrated just because the weather’s been so bad. When I got down here and was warming up for the hurdles I thought shall I just wait until Rio?
“But I need to sharpen up and know what I need to work on and if I can come away from the weekend in one piece I can push on.”
I’m probably in my best shape since 2012. And I can’t show all my cards yet can I!?
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Her time of 13.13sec in the 100 metres hurdles was solid given it was run in monsoon conditions.
And as officials wrapped towels around her shoulders as she shivered in the damp and cold between rounds she leapt 1.84m in the high jump.
But it was her final shot putt effort of 14.29m that piled on the points in her best display of throwing since she won gold in London.
Her winning time of 23.36sec in the 200m was another best since the London Games bringing her total tally with three events left today to 3990pts.
The Sheffield star admitted: “I would have got a better time in the hurdles, I’d hoped to run under 13 seconds, were it not for the rain. The conditions for the high jump were just horrendous. I thought I would bomb out at 1.75m. So overall I’m quite pleased.
“I’m probably in my best shape since 2012. And I can’t show all my cards yet can I!?”
Dasaolu books Rio dash
EUROPEAN champion James Dasaolu won the men's 100m showdown at the Olympic trials to book his place in Brazil along with team-mate James Ellington.
CJ Ujah, who finished behind them in Birmingham, can expect to be handed the third spot when the British team is named next month. All three ran under 10 seconds but will be denied a place in the history books due to an illegal wind speed. It would have been the first time more than one Brit had gone under 10sec in the same race.
Dasaolu said: “I was here four years ago at the London 2012 trials and finished third so I knew there was going to be a bit of tension on the line. Seven guys on the line had the qualifying standard for Rio so I knew that if I didn’t finish top two, top three, my dream of going to Rio in the 100 metres was in jeopardy. I’m pleased. This is what I wanted. ”
Christine Ohuruogu must sweat on her Olympic place after being forced to pull out of the trials with a virus.
Ohuruogu won 400m silver at London 2012 and was crowned Olympic champion in 2008 adding the world title to her medal haul in 2013.
She is bidding to reach her fourth Olympics but has suffered a dip in form since reaching the one-lap showdown at the world championships in Beijing last summer.
With the 400m finals at the trials and the first two guaranteed a place on the plane to Rio she must now wait to see if she is handed the third discretionary place having already got the qualifying time of 52.20sec.
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The Ennis-Hill, who booked her place in Rio in the competition in Gotzis a year ago, is targeting around 6,600pts over the seven-events this weekend, well off the 6,955pts she posted as a personal best en route to gold at London 2012. She won the world title in Beijing with 6699pts.
She is in overall lead overnight in a field which includes Rio rivals Jennifer Oser and Lilli Schwarzkopf from Germany. She admitted: “If I can improve here on last year I will be really happy with that. In an ideal world it would be great to put a really good score down.
“I just wanted to come here and put a decent score on the table. Then I know I’ve got six weeks to work on things and build on a few little areas and hopefully be better in Rio. If I can get through this weekend in one piece then I know that when I am on the big stage I can raise my game. Now I’m going to have to spend a few hours straightening my hair!”
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