Story highlights
Britain win three gold medals on second night of track and field
Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford triumph
Hosts claim six golds overall on eighth day of Olympic competition
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce retains Olympic 100m title for Jamaica
Britain claimed three gold medals in an astonishing night of track and field action in the Olympic Stadium Saturday.
Mo Farah rounded off a triumphant night for the hosts with a storming victory in the men’s 10,000 meters after Games poster girl Jessica Ennis delivered in the heptathlon and a surprise victory for Greg Rutherford in the long jump.
Ennis, who held an unassailable lead after the sixth event, the javelin, treated the 80,000 capacity crowd to a thrilling finish in the concluding 800m, sprinting clear of her rivals to win in two minutes 8.65 seconds.
It left her just 45 points shy of the magic 7,000 points barrier and 327 ahead of world champion Tatyana Chernova of Russia.
“I am so shocked, I can’t believe it. I am so happy,” Ennis told BBC Sport.
Rutherford headed the world rankings going into the Games, but his long jump gold – the first for a Briton since Lynn Davies in 1964 – was not widely predicted.
The 24-year-old, who has battled injury in the past, took the lead in the fourth round with an 8.21m effort and jumped out to 8.31m in the fourth round, seemingly thriving on the incredible commotion which surrounded the gold for Ennis.
It was left to Somali-born Farah to provide the icing on the cake and deny Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele a hat-trick of Olympic titles in the event.
Staying off the uneven pace in the early stages of the 25-lap race, Farah slowly took closer order and finally took up the lead at the bell.
He ratcheted up the pace to shrug off a clutch of dangerous challengers to cross the line in 27 minutes 30.42 seconds.
His American training partner Galen Rupp took silver with Tariku Bekele edging out his brother Kenenisa for the bronze.
A tearful Farah celebrated on the track with his daughter Rhianna and seven-month pregnant wife Tania.
“It’s never going to get better than this, this is the best moment of my life,” he told BBC Sport.
Farah’s gold was the sixth of the day for Britain, who won two in rowing and another in track cycling to cement third in the medals table.
An incredible night of action was completed by Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who retained her Olympic 100m title in the fast time of 10.75 seconds.
She edged out Carmelita Jeter of the United States win by just 0.03sec with her Jamaican teammate Veronica Campbell-Brown taking bronze.
It was further indication of the strength of Jamaican sprinting ahead of the men’s final Sunday where Usain Bolt defends his 100 crown under likely challenge from compatriot Yohan Blake and American Tyson Gay.
