MOSCOW, August 12 (R-Sport) – Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton took the early lead in the women’s heptathlon at the world championships in Moscow Monday after setting the fastest time in the opening 100 meter hurdles in a race missing the reigning Russian world champion.
Watched from the stands by her husband Ashton Eaton, who won the decathlon Sunday, Theisen-Eaton ran a 13.17-second race and now leads the standings with 1,099 points.
Second place is held by European indoor bronze medalist Ganna Melnychenko of Ukraine, who ran 13.29 seconds for 1,081 points, while in third is Dutch athlete Dafne Schippers, whose season-best run of 13.30 earned her 1,080 points.
The heptathlon is without two of its leading lights in Moscow – reigning world champion Tatyana Chernova of Russia and Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis-Hill are both injured.
In their absence, a leading contender for gold is France’s European indoor champion Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida, who is fourth on 1,071 points after running 13.36, her fastest hurdles race of the season.
The championships are being held in Moscow’s vast Luzhniki arena, which hosted the 1980 Olympics, and runs through Sunday.
