Thiam defies Ennis-Hill at the death

RIO DE JANEIRO: Two days of gruelling competition came down to two crucial seconds in the final 800m race, as Belgian pretender Nafissatou Thiam usurped Jessica

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RIO DE JANEIRO: Two days of gruelling competition came down to two crucial seconds in the final 800m race, as Belgian pretender Nafissatou Thiam usurped Jessica Ennis-Hill as Olympic heptathlon champion. At the end of a gripping competition, Thiam went into the two-lap race with a 142-point lead over the defending champion. Given the duo’s personal bests over 800m, that equated to Thiam getting around within 9.47sec of Ennis-Hill to win. Although the Briton produced a sterling gun-to-tape showing, Thiam came in 7.47sec behind to ensure gold by the narrowest of margins.