Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson trail with two heptathlon events left
Katarina Johnson-Thomspson 46 points behind Ennis-Hill in third
By Dev Trehan
Last Updated: 13/08/16 9:42pm
Jessica Ennis-Hill is five points behind leader Nafissatou Thiam with two events remaining in the heptathlon as she bids to successfully defend her Olympic title, in Rio.
Ennis-Hill regained her lead in the competition after the 200m in the early hours of Saturday morning, following a disappointing shot put but she was comfortably out-jumped by her Belgian rival.
Thiam leaped a best of 6.58 metres to leave her up front on a total of 5,018 points, with Ennis-Hill's 6.34m jump taking her on to 5,013.
Katarina Johnson-Thomspson also leapfrogged up the standings with a long jump best of 6.51m, leaving her just 46 points off her compatriot in third place.
Ennis-Hill started the day with a 72-point lead after what she dubbed a "mixed bag" in Friday's first four events at the Olympic Stadium.
The 30-year-old, who became a mother last year, is bidding to become only the third woman to retain an Olympic athletics title after giving birth.
Hurdler Shirley Strickland achieved the feat in 1952 and 1956 before triple jumper Francoise Mbango Etone emulated it with victories in 2004 and 2008.
The heptathlon resumes later Saturday with the javelin and the 800m.
