England Athletics Combined Event Championships 2017 - Day 1

The England Athletics Combined Event Championships | EIS - Sheffield | 7-8 January 2017

The first day of England Athletics championships in 2017 have taken place. Not only was the first title of the year decided in the Under 20 Women’s pentathlon there was also plenty of action in the first day of both the Senior Men's Heptathlon and Under 20 Men’s Heptathlon competitions.

Holly McArthur (Club: Edinburgh AC, Coach: Iain McEwan) claimed the first England Athletics title of 2017 in the Under 20 women’s pentathlon ahead of da'ora Chigbo (Club: North Somerset AC, Coach: Ken Holmes/ Fuzz Caan) and Grace Bower (Club: Sale Harriers Manchester, Coach: Mike Holmes).

Holly McArthur, winner Under 20 Women’s pentathlon

In the Senior men’s competition defending champion Liam Ramsay (Club: City of Sheffield & Dearne AC, Coach: Mike Corden) holds the overnight lead into what looks set to be a thrilling second day. Ramsay sits just six points clear of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Ashley Bryant (Club: Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow/Brunel Uni, Coach: Aston Moore) with 3299 to 3293 points with Commonwealth fourth placer John Lane (Club: City of Sheffield & Dearne AC, Coach: Toni Minichiello) third on 3191 as Under 23 Aiden Davies (Club: Doncaster AC, Coach: Sam Stanislaus) lies fourth just another 91 points back.

 Liam Ramsay, Men's High Jump

The overnight leader in the U20 Men's Heptathlon is Joseph Hobson (Club: Sheffield Running Club, Coach: Mike Corden) who has led from the first event. A 7.08 (854 pts) clocking in the 60m gave him the lead ahead of Daniel Ryan (Club: Herne Hill Harriers, Coach: Garry Power, 7.21, 809 pts) with Caius Joseph (Club: Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC, Coach: Rafer Joseph) completing the top three with 7.30 (779 pts).

Joe Hobson, Shot Put

See the results at:  http://www.englandathletics.org/england-athletics-news/2017-championships-action-underway

Photos from the event are available to buy from: www.peverilphoto.com

Jessica Ennis-Hill announces her retirement from athletics

Sheffield athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won Heptathlon gold at the London 2012 Olympics and the World Championship in 2015, has announced her retirement from athletics.

Jessica Ennis-Hill, London Anniversary Games 2016

She had already hinted at retirement after winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in August and says it was "one of the toughest decisions I've had to make.  I've always said I wanted to leave on a high and have no regrets,"

Jessica Ennis-Hill to miss indoor season

Olympic and World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has confirmed that she will will miss the indoor athletics season with an Achilles injury.

Jessica Ennis-Hill and coach Toni Minichiello, Great City Games, Manchester, May 2015

She has said that she is "really frustrated" but wants to be "100% ready" to defend her Olympic title in Rio in August.  This will be a disappointment to everyone hoping to see her at the UK Indoors on her home turf of the EIS, Sheffield on 27/28th Feb.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill set to compete in Beijing

Britain's hepathlon champions will be giving it both barrels when they go head-to-head in te World Athletics Championships in Beijing - the heptathlon 100 metre hurdles will be the opening event.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill at this year's Great City Games in Manchester.

There will be realistic medal hopes for Great Britain - the colour and distribution will also be affected by Canada's Brianne Theisen-Eaton who has been on good form this year.

Katarina also has a good shot at the long jump in which she has excelled again this year.

Jessica Ennis-Hill - Rio 2016 qualification in the bag!

Sheffield's Olympic Heptathlon Champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, 29, came good at the weekend to make her full Heptathlon comeback and secure qualification for Rio 2016 at the Gotzis Hypo-meet in Austria.

In her first heptathlon since winning Olympic gold in August 2012, Jess finished fourth with 6,520 points - well above the 6,200 needed for Rio and which also gave her entry to this year's World Championships in Beijing.

Jessica Ennis-Hill at her first comeback event this year - the Great CityGames in Manchester.

"I'm really, really pleased," she said afterwards.  "Some of my events have been pretty poor, pretty standard.  I feel there's so much more to come.  If someone had said I'd have had 6,520 beforehand I would have taken that with both hands.  It's a pleasing position to be in after all that time off."

Jessica Ennis-Hill returns to action at the Manchester Great City Games

Jessica Ennis-Hill has announced her return to competition in Manchester this May.  The Olympic Heptathlon champion who has not competed since the 2013 Anniversary Games in London is now on he way back.  She has announced that she will compete in the 100m hurdles on Deansgate.

Jessica Ennis-Hill romping home in the 60m hurdles, UK Indoor Championships, EIS Sheffield, Feb 2012

It will be Ennis-Hill's first major event of 2015 and there will be huge interest in her form as she prepares to go head-to-head with Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the seven-event Heptathlon in Gotzis, Austria at the end of May.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson will also be competing in the Manchester Great City Games, but in the 200m hurdles and the long jump.

Morgan Lake equals European Youth Hepathlon Record in Gotzis

Seventeen year old Morgan Lake who recently smashed Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s British youth heptathlon best with 5896 points at the age of 16 to become the youngest ever winner of the Multistars event in Florence has followed this up with an impressive performance in Austria.

 Lake broke the 6000 points barrier for the first time to finish overall 17th with 6081 points to equal the European youth best and go second in the world junior list for 2014. Her results included big PBs in the shot (14.85m), 200m (24.59) and javelin (39.74m).

Following her first ever senior heptathlon, she then also went on to break the UK junior high jump record with a clearance of 1.93m in Loughborough.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson wins Götzis heptathlon with javelin best

Katarina Johnson-Thompson won gold in the prestigious Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria this weekend, as Great Britain’s latest heptathlon star laid down a marker with yet another personal best this year before the Commonwealth Games.

 Victory in the 800 metres saw the 21-year-old Liverpudlian pip Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton to gold by 41 points (6,682 to 6,641) and the pair are expected to be favourites in Glasgow this summer in the absence of Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Johnson-Thompson lay second overnight in this event – the annual IAAF World Combined Events Challenge, which had a field far stronger than that expected at the Commonwealths – but moved into first by winning the long jump in the first of Sunday’s events, jumping 6.70 metres to Theisen-Eaton’s 6.59.

The Canadian reclaimed top spot in the javelin but Johnson-Thompson’s new personal best of 41.44m in the event left her primed before her favoured 800m and she duly delivered.