GB eye heptathlon silverware

Updated 15.56 Sat Aug 25 2007

Keywords: World Championships, Great Britain, Jessica Ennis, Kelly Sotherton, heptathlon, sport

Great Britain's hopes of picking up a medal in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Osaka remain high as Kelly Sotherton and Jessica Ennis are handily placed.

Sotherton and Ennis are in third and fourth places respectively behind defending champion Carolina Kluft and Ukraine's Lyudmila Blonska with three events remaining.

Sotherton and Ennis are in third and fourth places respectively behind defending champion Carolina Kluft and Ukraine's Lyudmila Blonska with three events remaining in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Osaka

The British duo's chances of medals were boosted after they both posted personal bests at the Nagai Stadium in the 100 metre hurdles and 200m to remain in the hunt.

However, Kluft posted personal bests in the hurdles and high jump to keep her on course for a third consecutive World Championship crown.

Ennis was leading after the first hurdles, only to see her good work be undone as she struggled in the shot putt before storming back in the 200m.

She finds herself 47 points adrift of Sotherton, who finds herself a further 25 points behind second-placed Blonska.

Sotherton said ahead of the final day of the heptathlon: "It feels good, it is a lot better than I have done all year.

"Every performance was consistent and I know that I can carry that on which means I know I can win a medal so anything less than that is a disappointment.

"But it is not just me, there are other people chasing me and there is Jessica in fourth."