24 September 2007

Jessica Ennis’s record-breaking season ended with her finishing a superb second in the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge standings for 2007.

The final standings of the summer-long ‘league’ were determined after the Decaster meeting at Talence, France, on 22-23 September.

World Championships silver medallist Lyudmila Blonska (Ukraine) took the title with a total of 19,895 points from her best three heptathlons – 6832 in Osaka, 6626 in Gotzis and 6437 in Talence.

Ennis (City of Sheffield AC / Trafford AC) clinched second place with three performances that all beat the previous UK Under 23 heptathlon record of 6325 set by Denise Lewis (Birchfield Harriers) when she won the 1994 Commonwealth title in Canada. Ennis’s progressive improvements were 6388 at Desenzano del Garda, Italy, in May; 6399 when she led the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland team to their first ever European Cup Combined Events Super League victory in Szczecin, Poland, in July; and 6469 when she finished fourth at the World Championships in Osaka.

Britain’s World Championships bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton (Birchfield Harriers) finished sixth in the World Challenge with 18,949 points – 6510 in Osaka, 6229 in Szczecin and 6210 in Gotzis.

On the domestic front, GB cross country internationals past and present starred at the Midland Counties Road Relays in Sutton Park.

Phil Nicholls (Tipton Harriers), who has gone from strength to strength since racing in the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland team at this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kenya, was quickest in the men’s six stage relay. He clocked 17 minutes 22 seconds on the fourth stage, just seven seconds quicker than Billy Farquharson, whose effort on the glory leg clinched victory for Notts AC. Third-quickest on 17:42 was Lee Carey (Nuneaton Harriers), who will be bidding for a Junior place in the Norwich Union GB&NI Team for the European Cross Country Championships to be staged in Toro, Spain, on 9 December.

The Potter twins who led Norwich Union GB&NI Junior Women to the team gold medals at the 2000 European Cross Country Championships in Malmo, Sweden, led Charnwood AC to victory by more than 2 minutes in the Women’s four stage race. Jane Potter clocked 14:23 and Juliet Potter 14:30, making them the fastest duo in the race.

For the full Midlands results, please click here

www.race-results.co.uk/results/2007/index.htm

The other territorial road relays are next weekend with the leading clubs aiming for the ERRA Relays in Sutton Park on 20 October.

If you know of an outstanding performance that should be included in this round-up, please email the details to UK Athletics Communications Officer Trevor Frecknall at tfrecknall@hotmail.com