Jessica
Ennis-Hill believes the only way is up after returning to the track for the
first time in almost two years in Manchester on Saturday.
The
Olympic heptathlon champion began the journey she hopes will lead to the
defence of her crown in Rio next summer by clocking 13.14 seconds as she
finished third in the 100 metres hurdles at the Great CityGames.
The
29-year-old was racing on a purpose-built track on Deansgate in front of her
nine-month-old son Reggie and hordes of spectators, who braved the cold to
gather outside the city-centre bars and coffee shops to catch a glimpse of the
returning golden girl.
Jessica Ennis-Hill (middle) returned to the track for the first time in 22 months at Great CityGames
Ennis-Hill finished behind Tiffany Porter (right), who claimed a dominant win in 12.86s, and Lucy Hatton (left)
She
received a huge cheer when introduced to the crowd for the first time in 22
months. Back on
that occasion, at the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium, she
clocked 13.08secs. Her return performance, in cold conditions and into a
headwind, was encouraging.
'It was really good to be back,' said Ennis-Hill, who finished behind Tiffany Porter, who claimed a dominant victory in 12.86s, and Lucy Hatton.
'I feel
like it's a starting point now. I feel like I can build on that.
The Olympic heptathlon champion is hoping to defend the medal she won at London 2012 in Rio next summer
Sheffield-born Ennis-Hill clocked a time of 13.14 seconds on her track return in Manchester on Saturday
The 29-year-old was racing on a purpose-built track on Deansgate in front of her nine-month-old son Reggie
'I'm always going to be disappointed. I know I am capable of running a lot
faster, but I hit a hurdle. I feel like I'm lacking race sharpness. 'I'm happy
to come away with that, I can build on it.'
Ennis-Hill,
who clipped hurdle six, admitted beforehand she was getting 'stuck in at the
deep end' against four specialist hurdlers, including European champion Porter
and there was a sense of relief at discovering she had been ready.
'Now I
can go away, get race sharp and put some more training together and see what I
can do in a few weeks' time,' she said.
'To not
have raced for so long since the Anniversary Games, I need to be in more races
more often and be lining up against girls like that and be in that environment
again.'
Ennis-Hill congratulates Porter of Great Britain after her victory in the women's 100 metres hurdles
She was competing for the first time in nearly two years following injuries, pregnancy and the arrival of her son
Katarina
Johnson-Thompson showed good strength in the straight 200m hurdles to
finish second by just 0.03 to Meghan Beesley, a specialist 400m hurdler.
Johnson-Thompson
admitted she was stepping into the unknown with the rarely-run distance, but
was pleased with her performance.
'I had to
pick it up towards the end," said the Liverpool athlete, whose time was
25.31. "I'm happy with that race.
'I'm just
glad I didn't come to a grinding halt and didn't hit the hurdles. That was my
biggest fear.
'I've got
really bad eyesight as it is and I couldn't see the finish line. I was just
trying to look for one hurdle at a time.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (left) showed good strength in the straight 200m hurdles to finish second
Johnson-Thompson trailed Meghan Beesley (right), a specialist 400m hurdler, by just 0.03 in Manchester
'It's
just a run out to see where you're at - and how many hurdles you can get to
before you die.'
Elsewhere, Greg Rutherford, who described the conditions as
'brutally cold', sealed victory in the long jump with his first leap, soaring
out to 8.01m.
Richard Kilty, the world and European indoor 60m champion, hailed
a 'promising' display as he clocked 10.29 to finish second to American Mike
Rodgers in the 100m.
Nineteen-year-old history student Dina Asher-Smith gained a
modicum of revenge on Dafne Schippers, the Dutch sprinter who beat her to 60m
gold at the European Indoor Championships in March, by winning their battle
over 150m in 16.82.
No comments:
Post a Comment