Having returned to the top of the world the previous night, Jessica Ennis-Hill spent her final afternoon in Beijing at the Linglong Tower, enjoying a bird’s-eye view of the Bird’s Nest Stadium. But as she flew home for a reunion with her son, Reggie, there remained a burning feeling that she should not have been celebrating becoming a double world champion, but a triple one.
Ennis-Hill won her first world championship in Berlin in 2009, but was pipped in Daegu, South Korea, two years later by Tatyana Chernova, who was found to have doped in 2009, when a sample was retested in 2013. The Russian’s results were expunged for the two years leading into the 2011 championships, meaning that she should never have been able to qualify for Daegu.
But Chernova still has the gold medal and an IAAF appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport has been rumbling on since March.
“If Seb Coe is to create a real legacy then make the wheels turn quicker,” Toni Minichiello, Ennis-Hill’s coach, said about the new IAAF president. “Give people their rightful medals before they retire.”
Ennis-Hill believes that she will receive the gold medal, but admits that it could still take some time.
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“I still want to be world champion for the third time but I hope to get that medal at some time, whether that’s next year or ten years down the line,” she said. “It’s frustrating and ongoing. What happened in Daegu helped me as it put me in a great position for London. I don’t think I’d have changed it.”
For now, Ennis-Hill is planning a holiday and will not train again for six weeks, when she starts the build-up to the defence of her Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro next summer. Competing during the indoor season is a possibility, provided that she receives an invitation to the pentathlon at the world indoor championships in Portland, Oregon.
Ennis-Hill is experienced enough to recognise that she was slightly fortunate to claim gold in Beijing with a string of performances that she described as “solid”. The implosion of Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who failed to register a mark in the long jump, plus the slightly disappointing display of Brianne Theisen-Eaton, of Canada, who admitted that she struggled to cope with the pressure of being described as the favourite, left the door ajar for Ennis-Hill.
“It’s going to be really rough next year,” she said. “The event is moving on and getting stronger and stronger. Hopefully, with a good winter, I can get closer to what I did in London. The standard will go up next year and Brianne will learn things from these championships. She and Kat will come back stronger. I’ll make the improvements that I need to make.”
Ennis-Hill got the better of this clash with Johnson-Thompson, but expects her young compatriot to come back stronger next season. “We’ll have a good rivalry and she’ll learn so much,” she said. “It’s an awful way to come away from the heptathlon but she will redeem herself. It’s exciting to see how it’ll pan out.”
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There were also words of support for Johnson-Thompson and her coach, Mike Holmes, from Greg Rutherford after they were criticised by BBC pundits. The Olympic long jump champion said that he hoped to chat with Johnson-Thompson before she competes in the long jump on Thursday.
“I saw her briefly yesterday and the poor girl was absolutely devastated and I think some things that were said about her were harsh, to say the least, and out of order,” Rutherford said. “But she’s strong; she’s very, very good. I think when she comes out of it she’ll know what to do, get a safe jump in, get to that final and do something special.”
Rutherford needed just two jumps to qualify for the long jump final, but having already seen successes for Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah, the other two gold medal-winners from Super Saturday at London 2012, the pressure is now on him.
“I got on Twitter after Jess won and all I read was ‘Mo won, Jess won, you’ve got to win now, Greg’,” he said. “But I put more pressure on myself than anyone and I’ve come to this championships to jump well. And, believe me, I’ll be jumping as far as I can.”
Three to watch today
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Men’s long jump final, 12.25pm BST
Greg Rutherford attempts to become only the fifth athlete to hold gold medals in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and European and World Championships at the same time, but Jeff Henderson, of the United States, starts marginal favourite for the event.
Women’s 1,500 metres final, 1.35pm
Genzebe Dibaba, of Ethiopia, has been the summer’s outstanding athlete and is a rock-solid favourite for gold, but Scotland’s Laura Muir is in contention for a medal.
Men’s 800 metres final, 1.55pm
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There will few more popular winners than David Rudisha if the Kenyan claims gold after struggling with injury for two years. He will not be facing his regular nemesis, Nijel Amos, who failed to make the final.