Aug 17, 2009, 11:33 GMT
Berlin - Jessica Ennis returned from a career-threatening injury to claim Britain's first ever world championship gold in the heptathlon on Sunday.
Ennis, 23, led the gruelling two-day event from start to finish to capture gold in a personal best 6,731 points ahead of German Jennifer Oeser and Poland's Kamila Chudzik.
'I have dreamt about this title, especially after last year's disappointment, and now I have it. These are the best two days ever,' said the elated Ennis.
Ennis was a promising heptathlete after coming fourth at the 2007 worlds, but was then diagnosed with three stress fractures in her right foot in May 2008.
She had to sit out the Beijing Olympics and doctors could not promise whether she would be fully fit again.
But Ennis resumed training in January, changed her jumping foot in the long jump from the right to the left to reduce the pressure, and scored a stunning personal best 6,587 points on her return to competition at a small meet in Desenzano in May.
'I couldn't imagine 12 months ago to be where I am now. The injury was a big shock,' she said on her arrival in Berlin last week.
Looking at the changed long jump routine, she said: 'I was anxious at first, but I knew I needed to make this change.'
Ennis admitted there was pressure on her to deliver as three-time defending champion Carolina Kluft had turned her attention to the long jump and compatriot Kelly Sotherton not in Berlin.
'There is a lot of pressure and expectations but I am enjoying it. I don't want to to miss anything any more. This is a great opportunity, I want to grab it with both hands,' she said.
She did so in style: with 12.93 seconds in the 100m hurdles, 1.92m in the high jump, 14.14m shot put, 23.25 seconds over 200m, 6.29m in the long jump, 43.54m in the javelin and 2:12.22 in the concluding gruelling 800m.
Behind Ennis, Oeser had the competition of her life as well in front of a partizan crowd, salvaging silver in a personal best 6,493 points despite fall in the 800m.
'I can not believe it,' she said, adding about the fall: 'I got so motivated. I did not want my medal to be taken away by another athlete so I fought like hell.'
That was necessary because the gaps behind Ennis were small.
Oeser and Chudzik were separated by just 21 points, Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska trailed by just another 27 points in fourth place and even Hanna Melnychenko of Ukraine was only 79 points behind Oeser in sixth place.
Your Talkback on this Story