Jess hits top form just in time for Rio

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL is in exceptional form less than six weeks from the start of the Rio Olympics after posting her best heptathlon score since London 2012.

She yesterday survived atrocious weather conditions in Ratingen in Germany to demonstrate that she is moving into world-class shape at just the right time of the season.

Her score of 6,733 points was the second highest of 2016, placing her 32 points behind leader Canadian Brianne TheisenEaton.

To put her performance in the driving rain into some kind of context, her winning mark at the 2012 Games was 6,955 points and she became world champion last August in Beijing with 6,669.

Of the seven events, the most eye-catching was the long jump in which she leapt to a personal best of 6.63m.

Ennis-Hill, 30, who has a two-year-old Reggie, has been backed to retain her title in Rio by Denise Lewis, the 2000 heptathlon Olympic champion. “The long jump for Jess has been so temperamental over the past few years,” said Lewis. “But a 6.63m personal best is outstanding. It bodes well for the future.

“At the Olympics you have to navigate seven events and the heptathlon is not easy. But she is definitely the favourite for me now.”

Ennis-Hill, below, like Super Saturday heroes Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford, was absent from the weekend’s GB Olympic trials in Birmingham.

In the sprints, Dina Asher-Smith, 20, was in tears after becoming 200m national champion and booking her spot at Rio. Her time of 23.11sec was 0.02 sec quicker than Desiree Henry.

Adam Gemili became men’s 200m champion with 20.44 – more than a year after a hamstring injury almost ended his career.

Matthew HudsonSmith won the men’s 400m in a time of 44.88, while Jazmin Sawyers set a personal best of 6.75m in the long jump.