Jessica Ennis-Hill made an emphatic statement on her return from injury in Germany with the second best score in the world this year, while Olympic champion Katherine Grainger and partner Vicky Thornley are confirmed in the Team GB Rio 2016 rowing squad. Here's our review of the last 24 hours:
Jessica Ennis-Hill, the Olympic and World champion, bagged a personal best of 6.63 metres in the long jump on her way to victory in the IAAF Combined Challenge in Ratingen.
Sheffield’s Hill finished with 6,733 points, which is 64 more than it took to clinch gold in the 2015 World Championships and the second best score in the world this year.
The 30-year-old was 257 points clear of Germany’s Carolin Schafer in second and this was her only chance to compete in a full heptathlon before travelling to Rio.
She threw 44.37 metres in the Javelin, just short of her season’s best, and recorded her best results since London 2012 in the shot put and the 200 metres.
Katherine Grainger insists she is not going to Rio just to make up the numbers after finally seeing her place confirmed in the Team GB rowing squad for the Olympic Games alongside Vicky Thornley.
The duo were initially left out of the squad named on June 9 after failing to podium in the double at this year's European Championships before a late attempt to earn a place in the eight ended in disappointment.
However selectors have now added them to the squad with 40-year-old London 2012 gold-medallist Grainger set to appear at her fifth Olympic Games and is desperate to clinch a fifth medal.
"I didn't take time out, then come back, to go to a fifth Olympics and just get a T-shirt. Vicky and myself both want a medal and we haven't lowered our sights,” she said.
For the full story on Grainger and Thornley’s road to Rio 2016, click here.
A gold medal for Adam Gemili in the men’s 200m brought the curtain down on the British Athletics Championships in Birmingham as the Olympic dream moved ever-closer for a number of athletes.
Athletes finishing in the top two at the Alexander Stadium, who have also achieved the qualification standard on two occasions this season, will be heading to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games later this summer – subject to selection and ratification by the British Olympic Association.
Gemili, who reached the 100m semi-finals at London 2012, crossed the line in 22.44 seconds, pipping Danny Talbot to the post by the width of his vest and just 0.2 seconds.
Dina Asher-Smith clocked a time of 23.11 to secure her first 200m British Championship title, finishing just two hundredths of a second ahead of Desiree Henry, while Matthew Hudson-Smith produced a scintillating run on his home track to win the 400m.
For all the details from Birmingham, click here.
Liam Heath showed he is a man in form ahead of next month’s 2016 Rio Olympic Games after claiming the men’s K1 200m title at the canoe sprint European Championships while Jess Walker picked up silver in the women’s final.
Heath is selected to race in the men’s K1 and K2 200m events, however the 29-year-old and his K2 200m partner Jon Schofield – who won bronze at London 2012 – opted to focus on the men’s K1 events at the European Championships in Moscow this weekend.
And he more than delivered, clocking 34.412 seconds to take the gold by almost half a second ahead of Sweden’s Peter Menning.
“Winning gold is definitely the highlight of my season so far,” said Heath. “It gives you a lot of confidence, not only in moving in to the last weeks of training, but also in all the training you have done leading up to this point.”
To discover more about Liam Heath’s medal ambitions, click here.
Hat-trick hero Alex Danson insists confidence remains high in the Great Britain camp ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a 4-3 victory over New Zealand secured the women a fifth-place finish at the Hockey Champions Trophy.
Danson’s treble, in addition to a strike from Lily Owsley, handed Danny Kerry’s team their first win of the tournament, condemning the Blacksticks to the wooden spoon.
“To have a fantastic atmosphere like that on our home turf in the Olympic Park is pretty special. After a hard week we are delighted to come away with that last win,” said Danson.
“It was really important to get the win today but even though it has been a difficult week the one thing that hasn’t been lost is that sense of togetherness.”
To read more about Great Britain’s huge win in the Champions Trophy, click here.
Adam Blythe held off a challenge from sprint specialist Mark Cavendish to be crowned British National Road champion in Stockton-on-Tees.
A four-man pack, including Tinkhoff's Blythe and Team Sky's Alex Peters, moved clear in the final two laps, at one stage holding a 90-second advantage.
And though Cavendish sprinted hard at the death, Blythe was first over the line to win his maiden national road race title.
"I wanted that one," said 26-year-old Blythe."I was thinking all day about it and always trying to be in the right move.”
Sportsbeat 2016