Athletics: Ennis, Farah cap golden day for GB

LONDON: Great Britain won six gold medals and a silver, capped by triumphs for poster girl Jessica Ennis and runner Mo Farah to make it their most successful day at a Games for 104 years. The rowers started the gold rush in the men’s four and the women’s lightweight double sculls. Then the women’s team pursuiters added to the British dominance of the Velodrome with another track cycling gold. The heptathlete Ennis did not disappoint, building up such a lead in the heptathlon that she did not even need to win her race in the last of her seven events, the 800m. Almost unnoticed, Britain then grabbed a gold that few had predicted as Greg Rutherford won the long jump with a leap of 8.31m. Later Farah managed his 10,000m race perfectly, holding off the formidable challenge from Ethiopia and Kenya to win in 27 minutes 30.42 seconds.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2012.