Jessica Ennis celebrates after winning the heptathlon gold medal in Barcelona.

After two days of trading blows like championship boxers it was only fitting that Jessica Ennis needed a championship record to defeat Olympic champion Natalya Dobrynska as the pair served up an exhilarating two-lap finale.

Ennis crossed the line first in heat two in 2:10.18 (962) which hauled her to a massive new personal best of 6823 – an advance of 92pts on her previous best.

It was a brilliant all-round display but there is little doubt Dobrynska played her part in Ennis’ performance, as the Ukrainian record a swift 2:12.06 for the 800m which contributed to a lifetime best score of 6778pts.

Interestingly, the mark also eclipsed the former championship record set by Sweden’s Carolina Kluft (6740) in Göteborg four years ago.

To add to the overall quality of the event, the bronze medallist Jenny Oeser of Germany set a new personal best of 6683 thanks to a season’s best 2:12.28 in the 800m. Fittingly, the three medallists crossed the line in that order in the second of two heats. Oeser total was also the highest ever score amassed for a bronze medal at these championships and would have been good enough for gold in all but three previous European Championship heptathlons.

Ennis was buzzing with her victory and added: “I had a brilliant year and these championships were amazing. I fell short by eight points of the British record, but I was glad to win, especially with the 800m and the way that I won it, which proves I am the world No.1.”

Dobrynska described the competition as “interesting” and said: “The result was unpredictable and the situation was changing all the time. I am happy to set my personal best.”

Oeser paid tribute to the gold medallist by adding: “It is obvious Jessica (Ennis) is No.1 at the moment, but I knew it would be a hard fight and I’m glad to be able to compete with the best.”

With Ennis holding a slender 18pt advantage over Dobrynska – equivalent to a little over a second – ahead of the 800m we were set for a thrilling finale and the gold and silver medallists did not disappoint both playing their part in a classic battle.

It was only a small advantage but Ennis started firm favourite to hold on to top spot as her 800m best was a little over three seconds quicker.

At the start line the normally unflappable Brit looked a little edgy while Dobrynska gulped nervously just before being called to their marks.

Ennis set out the more aggressively of the pair and raced to the front after the first bend. Dobrynska responded, slotting into third place some three metres adrift. This pattern continued until just before the bell when the Ukrainian moved out to try and attack the leader only for the Briton to quicken her pace. With 300m remaining Ennis visibly accelerated in any effort to shake off her rival attentions. Yet Dobrynska rose to the challenge once more and bolted past Ennis around the top of the final bend, briefly opening up a two-metre gap.

Were we about to see Dobrynska execute a stunning heist to grab gold after the 800m? No, we were not. Like so many events during the two-day marathon every time the blonde-haired East European raised the stakes, Ennis would strike back.
On this occasion the 24-year-old Briton recognised the danger and sprinted decisively. She kicked clear of the Ukrainian 170m out and by the time she turned into the home straight the gap had widened and the outcome was inevitable. Ennis would not be denied her gold medal, which she took style by taking to taking the heat win in a new personal best and championship record to boot. The only frustration for Ennis was that she was an agonising 8pts short of Denise Lewis’ British record. Lewis won this title in 1998.

Dobrynska crossed the line beaten but unbowed. After winning Olympic gold in Beijing her career had been in regression, but she roared back in Barcelona to tack 55pts on to her best ever heptathlon score.    

Oeser’s performance in third with a 6683pt total also suggests the strength in depth of the event is rising again after a lull since the retirement of Kluft, the now ex-championship record holder.

For the record Tatyana Chernova finished fourth overall with 6512 after posting a 2:13.97 800m. However, she was some 171 points adrift of Oeser the largest ever gap between bronze and fourth in the history of this event at a European Athletics Championships.

Poland’s Karolina Tyminska bolted up the rankings from tenth to fifth overall following a stunning heat one victory in a season’s best 2:06.43. She went through 400m in 61 seconds and was rewarded with 1018pts and a 6230pt seven-event total.

Rounding out the top half-dozen was Dobrynska’s Ukrainian team-mate Lyudmyla Yosypenko. A fairly modest 800m in 2:19.97 slipped her down to sixth overall with 6206pts.