Olympics 2012: Pick of the Day - Heptathlon

So far so very good for Jesscia Ennis, who broke the British 100m hurdles record yesterday as she took the lead in the competition. But the heptathlon is contested over seven events and at this level - as Ennis has found to her cost - one weakness is one too many. This morning’s long jump and javelin disciplines will have a significant bearing on the destiny of the gold medal. At last year’s world championships, Ennis squandered her chances of gold with a mediocre performance in the javelin, her weakest discipline. The title went instead to Tatyana Chernova of Russia, who remains the biggest threat to Ennis’s chances.

If all goes well, however, this could be the day that defines London 2012, one of those “I was there” occasions that illuminate every Olympic Games. Today, Jessica Ennis reappears at 8:35pm for the final heptathlon discipline, the 800m, as she chases the title of the world’s greatest all-round female athlete. As she steps off the track at the end of her two-day odyssey, Mo Farah will take to the start line at 9:15pm (BBC1, BBC Olympics 1) for the men’s 10,000m final. Wins for both would spark scenes of celebration not witnessed in a British sporting arena since England won the World Cup in 1966. Mike Costello