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Live Commentary: Olympic athletics - day one as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live text commentary from the opening day of athletics action at the Olympic Games in London.

Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text commentary of the athletics at the London Olympics.

The track and field got underway this morning, with the likes of Jessica Ennis, Dai Greene and Javier Culson all performing.

Heading into the evening session, medals will be won, while the destination of the heptathlon gold will also become clearer.

We will be keeping you across EVERYTHING that happens inside the Olympic Stadium tonight.


10.30pmAnyway, that's all from me tonight, thanks for joining us. Join us again tomorrow for all the goodies mentioned below! Good night!

10.28pmPlenty of medals to be awarded tomorrow as well. We've already mentioned the heptathlon, but the finals of the men's 20km walk, women's discus throw, men's long jump and 10,000m and women's 100m will also take place throughout an action-packed day.

10.25pmJessica Ennis could claim gold as the heptathlon comes to a close tomorrow evening. The men's 100m heats also begin tomorrow, a chance to see some of the world's fastest men in action, including a certain Mr. Bolt.

10.23pmQuite a day then! More to come tomorrow as well!

10.20pmThe first two track and field gold medals were also dished out, with Poland's Tomasz Majewski becoming the first man to retain an Olympic shot put gold medal, while Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba cruised to a hugely impressive gold in the women's 10,000m.

10.18pmTwo more Brits made it through to the semi-finals in the 1500m as Ross Murray and Andrew Baddeley both qualified automatically.

10.16pmThere was more joy for Great Britain in the long jump as both Greg Rutherford and Chris Tomlinson both made their way into the final.

10.13pmTeam GB's Abiodun Oyepitan progressed to the women's 100m semi-final by the skin of her teeth.

10.11pmSo, to recap some of today's athletic action, Jessica Ennis began her Olympic campaign in the best possible fashion, smashing the heptathlon hurdles record before good showings in the high jump and shot put and another personal best in the 200m.

10.07pmPavey and Bleasdale declare themselves thrilled at their results, as well as continuing the similar theme of British athletes in praising the crowd.

10.06pmPersonal bests for the two British athletes as well. They may not have got a medal but then again they were never expected to. They have massive smiles on their faces and justifiably so.

10.02pmJo Pavey has won the battle of Britain, finished seventh, just one spot ahead of Bleasdale. Great running by them but they were simply outclassed.

10.01pmKenya get silver and bronze courtesy of Kipyego and Cheruiyot respectively.

10pmGOLD MEDAL! The legend that is Tirunesh Dibaba shows just why she is so highly regarded. Phenomenal run.

10pmUnbelieveable from Dibaba. There was me thinking that she was struggling and now she is a good 70m ahead at the end!

9.59pmKidane is out of the medal positions as Dibaba makes a massive move! She has sprinted away from her rivals!

9.58pmLooks like Kidane went too early, she's dropped to the back of the four!

9.56pmThis could go to any one of four athletes now. Dibaba, the 10,000m legend, has made her move and her great rival Cheruiyot is also still in contention.

9.56pmFour laps to go as they begin to lap the stragglers. Kipyego has made her move and taken the lead!

9.55pmI'm getting dizzy just watching this! Kidane still leads and there is a group of four who have broken away from the rest and could soon lap the bottom two.

9.53pmDibaba is falling behind...

9.52pmOne of the Kenyans has exited the race through injury. Chepkirui hobbles out, heartbreak for her.

9.51pmNow Kidane has retaken the lead and is starting to open up quite a gap! Has she gone too soon though?

9.51pmThe Kenyans are back in the lead. At this point the gold could go to any one of seven people it seems!

9.49pmThe Brits are falling behind the leaders now. Good effort from the girls but the front pack are just too good.

9.49pmEthiopia's Kidane now leads as the front seven begin to break away.

9.47pmPavey isa couple of places behind Bleasdale, but still in the front pack.

9.45pmKipyego joins her fellow Kenyans at the front as they look to take control of the one long distance race that they have never won.

9.44pmBleasdale currently GB's best placed athlete in ninth but everything can change from hereonin.

9.43pmKenya take the lead through Cheruiyot and Chepkirui.

9.42pmHitomi Niiya is acting as the pace setter in the 10,000m. The pace has been metronomic so far, but expect the favourites to push on in the second half of the race.

9.40pmI take that back! Majewski has just thrown a 21.89 in his final throw, just for good measure, to take the title by three centimetres.

9.39pmJust one centimetre in it in the shot put. Very impressive display by the top two in particular.

9.37pmGOLD MEDAL! Majewski has retained his gold medal in shot put after Storl's final effort is not counted. The young German looks delighted with silver, though.

9.36pmHoffa's throw fails to beat his best so he will stay in third place to claim bronze.

9.35pmComing towards the end of the shot put now and world number one Christian Cantwell's final throw of 21.19m means that he stays in fourth.

9.35pmJapan's Yoshikawa currently leads the 10,000m as the pace begins to lift, but still a long way to go.

9.32pmCuba's Yarelys Barrios has topped the women's discus qualification with a throw of 65.94m

9.30pmKatarina Johnson-Thompson finishes day one 14th in the haptathlon rankings, while Hazel is down in 34th.

9.28pmThere's also a chance for a medal here for Britain, with both Joanne Pavey and Julia Bleasdale taking part. It'll have to be some effort to get on the podium, though.

9.26pmBack to the track now and we're gearing up for the women's 10,000m final. Ethiopa's Tirunesh Dibaba is an all time great at this distance, and among the favourites tonight.

9.25pmYou can read a report of that game here.

9.23pmGB's women footballers aren't enjoying the same success as their track and field counterparts however. They have been eliminated after losing 2-0 to Canada.

9.21pmNothing has changed in the shot put during that. Majewski and Starl are still battling it out for the gold with just 1cm in it.

9.20pmThat was also Ennis's best opening day heptathlon display. Great stuff, not letting the huge expectation get to her whatsoever.

9.18pmThe rankings after day one place Ennis first, Skujyte second and Canada's Jessica Zelinka third.

9.17pmKatarina Johnson-Thompson, meanwhile, came home in fifth place in a time of 23.73.

9.16pmEnnis goes back to the top of the rankings with a score of 4158 after her fantastic hurdles and 200m displays today. Great stuff from the Sheffield athlete.

9.15pmEnnis ate up the yards in the home straight, catching Schippers and they've both been given the same time. Personal best for Ennis!

9.14pmPhoto finish! The fastest time so far, 22.83. It's between Ennis and the Netherlands' Dafne Schippers...

9.13pmHere we go...

9.12pmA good performance here will put Ennis on top of the rankings after day one...as if there wasn't enough pressure on her shoulders. She faces stiff competition in this race, though.

9.10pmEnnis, on paper, is the fastest here. Can she do it on a very fast track here?

9.09pmJessica Ennis is warming up...expect the stadium to erupt any second. Katarina Johnson-Thompson is also involved in this fifth race, so a big one for the Brits here.

9.08pmBack to the long jump. British duo Greg Rutherford and Chris Tomlinson have made the final, qualifying in third and fourth place respectively. Real chance for medals there.

9.06mTeam USA's Hyleas Fountain wins in a time of 23.64, which should send her to top of the heptathlon rankings for now. The fastest are still to come, however.

9.05pmTwo Brits, however, have reached the final. More on that after the next 200m race.

9.03pmMeanwhile, in the men's long jump qualification, defending champ Irving Saladino is out after recording three fouls from his three jumps.

9.02pmTo clarify, after three throws, the bottom four athletes are eliminated and then the remaining eight throw in reverse order. Storl's third throw fails to topple the Olympic champion.

9.01pmMajewski takes the lead in the shot put final after his third throw! I said every little helps, and he has proved it, a throw of 21.87 is just 1cm longer than Storl's.

9.00pmEllen Sprunger of Switzerland takes victory in it. She was 31st in the rankings before that but will move up with that lifetime best.

8.59pmBack to the heptathlon and we're about to start heat three of the 200m.

8.55pmStorl has increased his leading score in the shot put from 21.84 to 21.86. Every little helps.

8.52pmHazel has done it! A disappointing first day finishes on a high for the Brit, winning her heat in a time of 24.48, while Skujyte's points will take a hit there, she finished way behind Hazel.

8.51pmVery interesting to see how Skujyte does in this. Not the strongest 200m runner...

8.50pmBritain's Louise Hazel is up next in the 200m, as is the current rankings leader Austra Skujyte.

8.49pmStorl still leads in the shot put, with Majewski and Team USA's Reese Hoffa filling the other medal spots at the moment.

8.46pmIt'll be interesting to see how her time of 23.71 compares to the other heats. Easily enough to win her own one but there are some strong 200m runners still to come.

8.45pmThe favourite for this race Tyminska has cruised it, beating the others in group 1 with ease!

8.45pmEnnis will be in heat 5.

8.44pmThe first 200m event is about to start, no Brits involved though.

8.43pmThe crowd are getting excited ahead of the re-emergence of the heptathletes.

8.42pmBrazil's Mauro da Silva has just clocked the joint-best long jump so far, qualifying with a jump of 8.11m.

8.40pmHUGE throw of 21.84m from David Storl to take the lead from the reigning Olympic champion. Lifetime best for the German.

8.38pmPoland's Tomasz Majewski currently leads with a throw of 21.19m.

8.37pmThe men's shot put final is underway.

8.35pmWe'll take you away from athletics very quickly and inform you that Britain's Andy Murray has beaten Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, guaranteeing at least a silver. Read the report here.

8.33pmMeanwhile, Team GB's Chris Tomlinson has gone some way to making up for his poor first long jump by clocking a jump of 8.06m.

8.30pmNew Zealand's Nicholas Willis wins the final heat of the 1500m. Kenya's Chepseba was clipped in the closing stages, causing him to miss out on qualification. Could we see an appeal for that?

8.29pmJust a reminder of what's coming up then: The men's shot put final is due to start any minute now, then golden girl Jessica Ennis takes part in the 200m before the women's 10,000m final.

8.28pmHeat three of the men's 1500m is now underway. No direct British interest but it will be good to see what sort of competition Baddeley and Murray will face in the semis.

8.27pmThanks Liam. We still have plenty of exciting events ahead of us tonight, including two sets of medals to be decided.

8.26pmAnd that is as far as I go. My colleague Barney will be taking you through the remainder of the evening session, including Jess Ennis in the 200m.

8.24pmLike so many British athletes, Baddeley praises the home crowd to BBC Sport. It seems they are hoping a lot of the athletes here.

8.22pm...And he holds on for sixth spot and a place in the final. Britain will now have two competitors in the final.

8.21pmHe's moving round the outside and is fifth. 150m remaining...

8.20pmBaddeley is well placed at the bell. One lap remaining.

8.19pmIt's now Andrew Baddeley's chance to reach the 1500m final. Can he match Murray's achievement?

8.16pmMurray tells BBC Sport that he was bowled over by the home support: "That was up there with the best. I thought I would embrace it. I was overwhelmed."

8.15pmFor the record, Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi won that heat.

8.13pm...and eventually finishes in fourth. Really good run and that is enough for him to qualify. Great last lap and now he has an Olympic final to look forward to.

8.13pmMeanwhile, Murray is running well in the 1500m. He's third on the home straight...

8.12pmBritain's Tomlinson has just jumped 7.62m in the long jump. He'll need to go even further in the pit if he wants to qualify, which I assume he does!

8.10pmAlso, just to mark your card, Britain's Ross Murray is underway in the 1500m heat. Can the home crowd inspire him to qualification?

8.09pmMe and my big mouth! Just as I say that, America's Marquise Goodwin jumps 8.11m to replace Rutherford at the top. That is a qualifying distance for Goodwin.

8.06pmThat distance has actually propelled Rutherford to the top of the leaderboard, although it is early days.

8.06pmHe jumps 7.99m, which is soon beaten by Britain's Rutherford, who posts a distance of 8.08m.

8.04pmWill Claye is preparing to jump for the USA. He is a talented athlete, who will also compete in the triple jump.

8.02pmBritain's Greg Rutherford is competing here, as is compatriot Chris Tomlinson.

7.58pmRight, let's turn our attention to some men's long jump qualification shall we?

7.57pmThe heat was won by Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, who set a personal best of 10.99 seconds.

7.56pmHowever, Stewart isn't the winner in this one.

7.53pmThe final heat of the women's 100m now coming up. Jamaica's Kerron Stewart is included in this one.

7.50pmThe women's discuss qualifying round is also underway now. We'll keep you updated with who reaches the final.

7.47pmEasy for the defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who wins the heat with a time of 11 seconds dead. Smooth stuff from the favourite to win gold again.

7.45pmOn the track, heat six coming up of the 100m is seconds away from starting.

7.43pm13.02 is the distance confirmed for Ennis from her final throw. That could mean that Skujyte has leapfrogged in the overall standings. We await confirmation of that, but it will be very close.

7.42pm...but it's short and she has her head in her hands.

7.42pmNow it's Ennis's turn...

7.41pmMASSIVE throw from Skujyte in the heptathlon shot put. 17.31m to be precise - a world best! That will close the gap on Ennis at the top of the standings.

7.40pmFelix tells BBC Sport that the 200m is more of a priority to her. Makes you wonder whether she is going to make a serious challenge for a medal in the 100m.

7.39pm...and it was Felix who wins. It was a poor start from the American, but she cruises to victory in the end in 11.01 - the slowest of the five heat victors so far.

7.37pmMeanwhile, heat five of the women's 100m is underway...

7.37pmDefending champion Natallia Dobrynska is currently struggling to produce her best form in the heptathlon shot put. Her best throw tonight is 15.05m, well short of what she can do.

7.35pmAllyson Felix is gearing up to run in the fifth heat of the women's 100m. Can the American continue the trend and run sub 11 seconds?

7.33pm...Which she throws 11.32m. It's a slight improvement for the youngster, who looks relatively happy.

7.32pmBack to Johnson-Thompson in the shot put - her last throw...

7.32pmHer time was a personal best 10.93 seconds. The USA's Tianna Madison finished second, while Michelle-Lye Ahye came third.

7.30pmNigeria's Blessing Okagbare wins it with yet another time under 11 seconds. It's been really impressive stuff on the track so far.

7.29pmHeat four of the 100m is about to go. No British interest in this one.

7.26pmEnnis up again in the shot put and she improves her first throw, reaching 14.28m this time around. One more throw for her to go.

7.25pmTalking to BBC Sport, she describes her race as "really messy". She also hopes to have done enough to reach the semi-finals.

7.24pmJust to mark your card, Oyepitan finished fifth in a time of 11.22. As it stands she is among the three fastest losers.

7.22pmCampbell-Brown wins it in 10.94. Three heats and three winners under 11 seconds. Do these women not realise we haven't even reached the semi-finals yet?! Explosive stuff.

7.21pmBritain's Abiodun Oyepitan is preparing to go in heat three of the 100m sprint. The 32-year-old will run against Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown.

7.19pmBritain's Louise Hazel has just thrown 12.41m in the shot put. More than respectable.

7.18pmJust taking you away from the athletics for the briefest of moments, GB's Victoria Pendleton has won gold in the cycling keirin. Story developing here.

7.17pmOnuora tells BBC Sport that she is hoping to qualify as a fastest loser. It may be wishful thinking though, considering she ran it in 11.41 seconds.

7.14pmBut she's left trailing in around fifth place as Jeter strides away from the chasing pack with a time of 10.83. She won by about five metres. Awesome stuff. This is only the heats!

7.13pmBritain's Anyika Onuora is also in this heat.

7.13pmCarmlea Jeter is next up in the 100m. The American is considered a favourite to claim gold at the Games.

7.11pmTo be precise, Ennis threw 13.75m. A competitive start from Britain's golden girl. She's now locked in discussions with her coaching team.

7.10pm...and she throws well over 13m. Positive start from the 26-year-old.

7.09pmBack over at the shot put, Skujyte in fourth place throws 15.96m. Great start from the Lithuanian. Ennis up next...

7.07pmKelly-Ann Baptiste wins the opening heat with an impressive time of 10.97. Big message sent out from the Trinidad sprinter.

7.05pmThere is also the opening heat of the women's 100m coming up shortly. We'll keep you posted.

7.04pm...who throws 11.29m. Not the greatest start, but it is something for the young Brit to build on.

7.03pmHere comes Johnson-Thompson...

7.02pmBoth Ennis and Johnson-Thompson are preparing for their first throws. The duo look fully focused. Meanwhile, USA's Fountain is up first and throws 11.99m.

6.59pmWe have another packed crowd inside the Olympic Stadium. There is around 80,000 present tonight - at least there are no ticket fiascos here!

6.57pmHaving said that, up next is the shot put, her self-confessed weakest event.

6.55pmEnnis may be the main draw tonight, but the performance of 19-year-old Liverpudlian Johnson-Thompson shouldn't go unnoticed. The youngster is currently third in standings, thanks largely to her performance in the high jump.

6.49pmEnnis currently tops the overall standings after two events. You can find out how the top shapes up here.

6.47pmUnsurprisingly, one of our main focuses tonight will be on Jess Ennis in the heptathlon. If she performs well in the two events tonight, she will have one hand on the gold medal.

6.41pmIf that wasn't enough, the first track and field medal will be decided at around 9.30pm in the men's shot put. The night will conclude with the women's 10,000m final.

6.39pmIn between that, the women's 100m round one takes place at around 7.10pm, followed by the women's discuss and men's long jump. There is then more men's action in the form of the 1500m heats.

6.38pmThe heptathlon gets us back underway at 7pm when they compete in the shot put. Later, at around 8.45pm, they will go again in the 200m.

6.35pmEvening all! Back again! Having wowed the home crowd this morning, British heptathletes Jessica Ennis and Katarina Johnson-Thompson will be back in action once again.

14.33Hopefully you've enjoyed this morning's track and field action! We shall be back later at 6.30pm to bring you the remaining events at the Olympic Stadium. Enjoy!

14.26Well, I hope that's enough for you to take in! So, plenty of action to come and of course Sports Mole will be covering it all just for you.

14.25And the day is nicely rounded off with the women's heptathlon 200m and the ladies' 10,000m final.

14.24We will also be witnessing the first medal ceremony of the athletics with the men's shot put final due to get started at 8.30pm.

14.24The men's long jump qualification gets going at 7.50pm while the men's 1500m heats begin 15 minutes later.

14.22We also have round one of the women's 100m, which is due to begin a 7.05pm, while the women's discus throw is expected to get underway at 7.10pm.

14.20There's plenty more track and field events for you later on! The athletes are currently on a break (because they obviously need one!) but action will resume at 7pm, like I said, with the women's heptathlon shot put event.

14.19If Ennis can stay on top by the end of the day then she is almost certain of gold (fingers crossed!).

14.18Next up for the heptathletes is the shot put at 7pm followed by the 200m race.

14.18The USA's Hyleas Fountain remains in second place with 2224, while a surprise inclusion to the top three is Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who after an impressive high jump campaign, has launched up the table.

14.11After the 100m hurdles and the high jump, Great Britain's Jessica Ennis leads the way with a points total of 2249.

14.09Right, let's have a look at the overall rankings for the heptathlon then shall we!

14.08And it was too much for her. Skujyte ends the high jump event with her third failure but a personal best of 1.92m puts her to the top of the standings in the event.

14.05The Belarus athlete took a good run up but once again, she crashes into the bar. I think this height will be beyond her.

14.01Skujyte endures her first failure for a while by missing her first try on 1.95m.

13.59It's been a great start for Ennis but Johnson-Thompson's high jump hopes are over after she fails on her third and final attempt to clear 1.92m.

13.58British hopeful Ennis is out of the high jump but she's been speaking to the BBC. This is what she's had to say about the crowd: "Just stepping into the stadium just blew me away. How much the crowd got behind me was amazing - a great start to the day."

13.57Johnson-Thompson scuffles the 1.92m once again. The youngster has never jumped this high before so clearing this height would be a huge feat.

13.56Maksimava's second go at 1.92m comes to nothing as she fails to get enough lift for the jump.

13.55...but she clatters through it. Not the best attempt from the scouser but she has two more chances left to go.

13.54Johnson-Thompson sets up for her first attempt at 1.92m...

13.54A very poor attempt at 1.92m but she has two attempts left to go.

13.53Now it's Maksimava's turn...

13.53Lithuanian champion Skuyte impressively gets over the 1.92m bar. This should rocket her up the leaderboard!

13.51Broersen has crashed out of the event as well. The athletes are getting whittled down here but GB are still in it with Johnson-Thompson.

13.51Belarus's Maksimava is still in the event after clearing 1.89m in the third attempt.

13.50Oooh and Fountain was close to getting the 1.89m but she too is eliminated.

13.48And there's a big groan from the crowd as Ennis fails on her third and final attempt to clear 1.89m.

13.48And she's done it! The youngster stayed composes to clear 1.89m. A great event for her.

13.47And here comes the Johnson-Thompson!

13.45But it's not great news for Ennis, who has failed on her second attempt to clear 1.89m. One more to go!

13.44So, Gari, Kemboi, Ezzine and Cabral have made it into the final after the final heat in the 3000m steeplechase final.

13.43GB's Stokes, who failed to qualify for the steeplechase final told the BBC: "I've had a few niggles at the wrong time coming into this and I don't want to make excuses. I've given it everything, I have no complaints."

13.41He actually ended up finishing in lane five or six for some reason. Bizarre!

13.40Well, that was a strange run from Kemboi, who is currently facing charges in his home country. But he's made it to clinch the second qualifying spot.

13.39Ennis goes for the 1.89m but she misses it. Two more attempts left for the Brit.

13.38Kemboi's determined to take the lead now. It looks like he's starting pushing and shoving to get through.

13.36Olympic champion Dobrynska is out of the high jump after failing three times to clear the 1.86m.

13.35Stokes has trailed right to the back and is unlikely to claim a qualification spot.

13.34According to the video replays it looks as though Kemboi's decision to drop to the back was tactical for some unknown reason. He's moving up in the group now though.

13.33Stokes is second to last in the pack but surprisingly Kemboi is right at the back of the runners. Questions are being raised over the Kenyan's fitness.

13.33Stuart Stokes is now underway in the third heat of the 3000m steeplechase.

13.32Johnson-Thompson has also made the 1.86m high jump. She's getting closer to her lifetime best of 1.88m.

13.30Ennis has made it! She edges closer to that Olympic title after clearing 1.86m in the high jump.

13.30Just to confirm - Kiprupto, Floriani, Taleb and Keskisalo qualify for the 3000m steeplechase.

13.28Oooh Ennis almost had it! Everyone in the stadium thought she'd cleared it and so did she! The fists went up but the bar fell to the floor after landing.

13.27Johnson-Thompson has mirrored her teammate's efforts as she fails to clear the 1.86m

13.26Ah, but she's missed it. She crashed into the bar but she has two attempts to go to match Fountain.

13.26Here comes Jess for 1.86m!

13.24But Kipruto has just regained the lead and the defending champion glides to the finish with a late acceleration to qualify for the final.

13.23Australia's Abdi has just burst down the line to take the lead with one lap left to go. He's left it late to make his mark. Will it be enough?

13.21Back to the heptathlon. Fountain, who sits below Ennis in the overall standings, has cleared 1.86m on the high jump. It's up to Ennis to extend her lead now

13.20Defending champion Kipruto has started to launch an attack with just under four laps to go, while Araptany tries to hold him off.

13.19Araptany is still leading the pack with five laps to go with Italy's Floriani putting pressure on the Ugandan.

13.17And the second heat of the 3000m steeplechase is underway with Araptany for Uganda currently leading.

13.14Chernova has missed the 1.83, so she's out of the high jump event. Ennis will probably be pleased to hear that.

13.14An impressive session from the American Jager there. Definitely one to watch!

13.12Right, so Mekhissi-Benebbad, Jager, Mutai and Akdag have qualified into the steeplechase final following their first heat.

13.09Back to the high jump and Johnson-Thompson has just cleared 1.83m with ease.

13.08Oooh and Uganda's Kiplogat has dropped back after falling in the water. He's lost quite a lot of ground here.

13.07The USA's Jager, who is relatively inexperienced, is currently leading the pack.

13.07Eight runners have broken away to the top of the race from the water jump with two laps to go.

13.05USA's Evan Jager, who has also been tipped to do well in this heat, has glided into second place with three laps left to go.

13.03Kiprop Mutai is the favourite for this heat. Just to remind you, there are three heats in the steeplechase with GB's Stuart Stokes due up in heat 3.

13.02Venezuela's Jose Pena has taken an early lead here but there's a long way to go.

13.00Right, now the men are lining up for the first round of the men's 3000m steeplechase.

12.58The women are whittling down in the high jump now as more and more bars come crashing to the floor.

12.57Oooh a poor effort from Chernova there, who's missed the first attempt on 1.83m. She needed to get off the floor but failed to lift herself and crashed into the bar.

12.57Chernova's up next!

12.56And New Zealand's Cowley has failed on her first attempt on the 1.83m. She took three tries to clear the 1.80m.

12.54Fountain, who's currently breaking down Ennis's shoulder in the overall rankings, clears the 1.83m bar with no problems. The American's looking good in this second heptathlon event.

12.54Germany's Schwarzkopf has equalled her personal best on high jump after clearing 1.83m.

12.50That was her best jump today! The Brit has cleared the 1.83 high jump with control and ease. Over to you Chernova...

12.50Right, back at the high jump. Here comes Ennis...

12.48Just taking you away from the athletics for a minute. Great Britain have another gold! Hurrah! It comes from rowing duo Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins, who clinched the elusive honour in the women's double sculls final. Good job!

12.46Ennis's Russian rival Chernova has also cleared the 1.80m with ease. The Brit will be keeping an eye on her.

12.44Let's go back to the heptathlon shall we Liverpool lady Johnson-Thompson has cleared the 1.80m on her second attempt. The youngster's doing well here!

12.42And back to the 400m women's heats we go! Novlene Williams clocks a time of 50.88s in the sixth heat with Ukraine's Phydia on 51.09s and Italy's Grenot on 52.13s.

12.39And the Sheffield-born athlete resumes her lead with 2136 points, which puts 75 points between her and USA's Fountain.

12.37No need to bite your fingernails for Ennis though as she's just cleared the 1.80m in her second attempt. She flew over the bar!

12.37Oh no and she's missed the first attempt! Everyone thought she had it but somehow the bar toppled off once she'd landed.

12.36Now it's time for Johnson-Thompson to try for the 1.80m!

12.34She's definitely made a statement with that run! But McConnell has qualified after coming through in third with a time of 52.23.

12.33She's started quickly but world number one Krivoshap has stormed to the front light, leaving her opponents way behind!

12.32We're going to switch to the 400m for a minute as Lee McConnell takes off for her heat.

12.31Don't forget though, Jess still has two more attempts to clear it and add to her lead.

12.29Ennis's rival Fountain, who sits one spot behind her in the overall heptathlon standings, managed to clear the 1.80m with ease.

12.27Carol Rodriguez claimed the second qualifying spot with Herunga clinching the third for Namibia.

12.25Meanwhile, USA's Sanya Richards Ross eased to the first qualifying spot in her heat. She looks as though she just jogged to the line! But she hasn't set the nest time of 51.78 seconds.

12.24Ah, and she's missed the 1.80m high jump as she just clipped it with her heels. Not to worry though, she still has two attempts left!

12.24Here comes Jess....

12.22Nadine Broerson is the latest to clear the 1.77m in the high jump. The Netherlands representative will continue on.

12.21Well, the heavens have well and truly opened in Stratford but the athletes will brave it! Hopefully it's just a brief shower.

12.20We switch to the hammer now (yes, it's all going on!). Alex Smith has just thrown an amazing shot reaching 74.71m, putting the Brit sixth in his pool.

12.18Back to the women's 400m heats. DeeDee Trotter and Rosemarie Whyte battled it out for first and second with times of 50.87s and 50.90s respectively.

12.16A beaming smile from the Liverpudlian there but her compatriot Louise Hazel has fallen down the table after failing three times to clear the 1.59m bar earlier.

12.15Cheers from the crowd as Johnson-Thompson matches her GB teammate Ennis after clearing the 1.77m high jump.

12.14USA's Hyleas Fountain remains adrift of Ennis in the rankings with a 2073 points.

12.13Russia's Tatyana Chernova has also cleared the 1.77m. She'll be pleased with that as she hopes to put pressure on Ennis, who is leading in the overall heptathlon rankings with 2136 points.

12.12Back to the high jump - Sarah Cowley has overtaken Ennis in the standings after clearing the 1.77m bar.

12.11She made it difficult for herself as she dropped back a bit on the home straight with Montsho and Day finishing first and second respectively.

12.09Ooooh that was close! GB's Shana Cox has just clinched a place into the semi-finals of the 400m after coming third in 52.01s.

12.07And golden girl(we hope) Jess Ennis is going from strength to strength as she clears 1.77m in the high jump and currently tops the rankings in the second event of the heptathlon.

12.06Just to remind you that the USA's Francena McCorory topped the first heat above Ohuruogu.

12.05Meanwhile, back to the heptathlon. Johnson-Thompson is doing well for GB after clearing 1.74m in the high jump in her first attempt.

12.04And she reached the end of the finish line with ease in a time of 50.79 seconds. She stormed out of the blocks but eased off towards the end and missed out on the first spot with a time of 50.79.

12.02Hello everyone! Danielle here! Right, we're already into round one of the women's 400m with defending champion Christina Ohuruogu.

11.58amCONFIRMED: Rhys Williams qualifies for the semi-finals of the men's 400m hurdles. Fellow Brits Greene and Green advanced through automatically.

11.56amBack over the heptathlon. Fountain, Oeser and Cowley all match Ennis's height of 1.74m.

11.55amWhile there is no official confirmation, the times throughout the heats should be that Brit Rhys Williams should reach the semi-finals as one of the fastest runner-ups.

11.55amThe winner was Sanchez, who was so far in front that he almost walked over the finish line in a time of 49.24 seconds. Senegal's Mamadou Kasse Hanne ended third.

11.54amBrilliant from Green! The 20-year-old produced a strong last 100m to finish second and progress through to the next round.

11.52amMore British interest in the final 400m heat. Jack Green will run for the home nation in a field which includes former Olympic champion Felix Sanchez.

11.51amBut not such good news for Hazel, who has failed three times at clearing 1.62m. She will now drop down from the 15th spot she held after the 100m hurdles.

11.50amNow Ennis...who clears 1.74m with ease! She's looking in great form right now. That has put her in the lead.

11.49amOver to the heptathlon and the British pair of Hazel and Johnson-Thompson have both made successful jumps in the opening round. Hazel cleared 1.59m, while her compatriot went over 1.71m.

11.47amJehue Gordan of Trinidad took second spot, while in third was Ukraine's Stanislav Melnykov.

11.46am...And the man with the yellow trainers eases over the the line in 49.31 seconds. He looked like he had plenty more in the tank there.

11.45amTaylor is away extremely well...

11.43amA high qualify fifth heat coming up here in the men's 400m hurdles now. America's Angelo Taylor is the pick of the runners.

11.42amOne positive for Williams will be the fact that his time is the best that he has produced all year. Still, he admits in a post-race interview that he wanted to run quicker.

11.41amThe USA's Kerron Clemont came second, with Omar Cisneros in third. Britain's Williams could only finish fifth and must now wait to find out if his time of 49.17 seconds is enough to see him qualify.

11.39am...and the Puerto Rican wins with ease in a time of 48.33 seconds, which was quicker than Greene.

11.38amCulson has already passed Williams...

11.37amHeat four is underway...

11.37amQuick update from the women's triple jump before heat four gets underway. Olga Rypakova from Kazakhstan now leads the way with a jump of 14.79m. Only four have qualified so far.

11.35amWe have another Brit running in the fourth heat in Rhys Williams. However, a lot of the attention will be on Javier Culson, who is the favourite to win the gold medal this year.

11.34amGreene, talking to BBC Sport describes the home crowd as "truly inspiring". It was a great run for the Welshman.

11.33amSerbia Emir Berkic finished second, with Jose Reynaldo Bencosme de Leon of Italy in the final qualifying slot.

11.32am...But his pace during the closing stages gets him over the line in first place in the fastest time yet in the heats - 48.98 seconds.

11.31amHe's second on the home straight...

11.30amGreene is away really well...

11.29amGreat reception by the home crowd for World Champion Greene. Moments away from the start of this heat. Greene goes in lane one.

11.27amAttention now turns to Dai Greene, who is doing his final block checks.

11.26amThat looked easy for Tinsley, who clocked a time of 49.14 seconds. Lived up to his billing in that one. Jamaica's Leford Green finished second, while Kurt Couto from Mozambique took third spot.

11.24amOn the final bend he is leading by a considerable margin...

11.24amThey're off and Tinsley has started really well here...

11.23amMichael Tinsley of the USA is up next. Considered a medal hope for his country here so he should be looking to put in an impressive performance.

11.20amGreene is in the third heat for all you British fans wondering by the way.

11.18amCuba's Amaurys R Valle is the first into the next round with a time of 49.19. Australia's Brendan Cole finished second with a personal best time of 49.24, while Amaechi Morton ended up third.

11.16amHeat one of the 400m about to get underway...

11.15amComing up in the next couple of minutes - the heptathlon high jump and the men's 400m hurdles, which includes Britain's Dai Greene. Will he be inspired by Ennis's exploits so far?

11.11amGB's Carl Myerscough has been talking to BBC Sport following his early exit from the shot put: "It's a massive disappointment. I felt great out there. I've probably never felt better. I probably tried too hard and I just didn't catch any throw. The adrenaline was enormous. I just didn't relax enough and it just didn't click."

11.10amTriple jump update. Colombia's Caterine Ibarguen joins Williams and Aldama in the final of the competition with a jump of 14.42m.

11.06amHaving reached the final of the triple jump, Britain's Aldama has praised the home crowd: "This is my fifth Olympics and I've never expereinced a crowd like this in the qualifying round. Normally, it's not like this," she told BBC Sport.

11.04amThe final women's 100m preliminary race has been run. Papua New Guinea's Toea Wisil recorded a comfortable win in a time of 11.87 seconds. Gambia's Saruba Colley finished second.

11.02amIncidentally, Team GB's Myerscough finished 29th out of 30 participants.

11.01amStorl, Majewski, Whiting, Lauro, Lyzhyn, Armstrong, Kolasinac, Cantwell, Sidorov, Scott, Ming-Hunag all join the American in the final.

11.00amFINISHED! The men's shot put qualifying is now over. Hoffa was the standout performer, requiring just one throw of 21.36m to qualify.

10.58amMore women's 100m preliminaries have taken place. Congolese athlete Lorene Bazolo wins through with a time of 11.87, while Yee Pui Fong takes the second spot up for grabs.

10.55amOnly one more triple jumper has managed to qualify for the final along with Britain's Aldama. The woman in question is Jamaica's Kimberly Williams, who jumped a personal best 14.53m to take the lead.

10.53amBit of Twitter reaction to Ennis's performance in the 100m hurdles from Team GB footballer Alex Scott: "Wow what a way to start the day #JessEnnis showing us how it should be done!! Go girl x."

10.52amOUT! Over to the shot put and Mysercough is out after three throws. The Blackpool Tower needed a distance of around 20m to qualify, but couldn't get beyond the 19m mark.

10.50amCameroon's Delphine Atangana qualifies for the 100m heats with an impressive run in the second preliminary race. Kaina Martinez took the other spot available.

10.48amBack to Ennis quickly. That victory and British record has unsurprisingly put her top of the heptathlon standings after one event. The 26-year-old was awarded 1195 points for her performance.

10.45amThe preliminary round of the women's 100m is also underway. Iraq's Dana Abdul Razak and Feta Ahamada are the first two through to reach the opening heats.

10.43amAnd what a fantastic start for Britain in this one! Yamile Aldama is in the lead with a jump of 14.45m, which has qualified her for the final.

10.42amRight, let's pause for breath for a moment and take you over to the women's triple jump, which started around 20 minutes ago.

10.40amAnd with that, many bookmakers make her 8/15 to win the gold. There's still a long way to go, but she must be EXTREMELY confident now.

10.39amFor the record, her time was 12.54 seconds. That would be close to winning the women's individual 100m gold medal! Zelinka trailed in second, while Fountain made up the top three. Great start to the Athletics for Ennis and Great Britain!

10.37amStunning stuff from the 26-year-old. Simply stunning. "More than outstanding" says Colin Jackson on BBC Sport and you have to agree with that.

10.36amEnnis wins! With the fastest time ever by a heptathlete in the 100m hurdles. Incredible.

10.35amShe gets into her block. Seconds away from one of her favourites events...

10.34amWhat a cheer for Ennis, who remains focused. What will the crowd do if she wins this race?!

10.33amBut now, it's Ennis time! The British golden girl goes up against the likes of Jessica Zelinka and Hyleas Fountain.

10.32amMyerscough misses out on the qualification distance in the shot put with a distance of 18.75m. Four throws to go.

10.31amIt was a personal best for Johnson-Thompson with a time of 13.48 to take fourth spot. The race was won by Lyudmyla Yosypenko in a time of 13.25, while Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopf took second spot. Russia's Kristina Savitskaya finished third.

10.28amGood stuff from Johnson-Thompson, who recovered from a slow start

10.27amThis time they're off...

10.27amFalse start! Estonia's Grit Sadeiko in lane six is the culprit. They'll now try again.

10.26amFantastic reception for Johnson-Thompson from the home crowd. She looks a little overwhelmed!

10.25amBack to the heptathlon, another race and another British competitor. Katarina Johnson-Thompson is up. Steve Cram has just described the 19-year-old as better than Ennis when Jess was her age. No pressure!

10.23amQuick switch to the shot put and Germany's David Storl throws 21.16m. That is more than enough to put him in the final.

10.22amIt was a good start from Hazel over five hurdles, but she seems to tighten up in the closing stages and clocked a time of 13.48 seconds. Ukraine's Hanna Melnychenko won with a time of 13.32, while Ellen Sprunger came second. The top three was rounded off by Jennifer Oeser. It was race littered with PB's and SB's.

10.20amBritain's Hazel can only manage fourth

10.19am"On your marks" calls the starter...

10.19amGreat reception from the crowd for Hazel also. You can probably times that by 100 for Ennis as well!

10.18amHave to say Hazel is looking extremely focused on the 10 hurdles that lay ahead of her.

10.17amThere is some British interest in next heat in the form of Louise Hazel. The 26-year-old is a gold medallist from the Commonwealth Games.

10.16amHolland's Nadine Broersen came second, while France's Marisa de Aniceto rounds off the top three. Good start from Dobrynska though.

10.14am...and she just holds on the win in a time 13.57 seconds.

10.13amDobrynska in lane four gets a reasonable start...

10.13amThey're in their blocks...

10.12amHeat two of the women's heptathlon coming up shortly. Defending champion Nataliya Dobrynska goes in this one. Will she lay down a marker for Ennis to beat? I doubt she'll let go of that gold medal without a fight.

10.10amAnd in fact that distance was enough for Hoffa to qualify. That looked all too easy for him.

10.10amMeanwhile, over in the shot put Hoffa has thrown a distance of 21.36m. Great start from the American.

10.09amRace one done and that was impressive from Polish champion Karolina Tyminska, who clocked a time of 13.22. Belarus's Yana Maksimava was second, while Lithuania's Austra Skujyte came third.

10.07amThe first track event of the Olympics is underway. Oh, but it isn't! There is a false start from Norway's Ida Marcussen and they;ll go again.

10.03amSurprise, surprise David Cameron is in attendance in the Olympic Stadium! The PM seems to be at every sport going at the moment. Do you reckon he had to sit on the website for hours applying for these tickets?!

10.02amTeam GB also has a representative in the competition in Carl Myerscough. In truth, not too much is expected of the 32-year-old, is many bookmakers of 275/1! Still this is the Olympics, you never know! Although, on this occasion you probably do!

10.01amChristian Cantwell, David Storl and Ryan Whiting are also considered to be contenders to win the big prize.

9.59amWhile our main focus during the early stages will be on Jess Ennis and the heptathlon, we will also be keeping a firm eye on the men's shot put, where America's Reese Hoffa is tipped to win gold.

9.58amSo, the Olympic cauldron is burning bright, the sun is shining and the stadium looks pretty full. Bring on the athletics!

9.57amAll of which should take us through to around 2.30pm. We will have it all covered for you here, so no need to go anywhere!

9.56amThere is more heptathlon in the form of the high jump at 11.15, which is followed by men's hammer, women's 400m heats and the men's 3000m steeplechase.

9.54amThen, at 10.05am, Ennis goes in the 100m hurdles in the heptathlon. Women's triple jump and 100m follow, before the men's 400m and Dai Greene begin at 11.15am.

9.52amSo what's up first? Well, the qualification round for the men's shot put get underway at 10am, with the final later this evening.

9.50amAnd as if by magic, former 110m British hurdler Colin Jackson has been talking about Greene's rivalry with Culson. Read what the Welshman has had to say here.

9.49amAnother British hope, Dai Greene, competes in the heats of the 400m hurdles at around 11.15am. One of his main rivals for the gold medal is Javier Culson, who has beaten Greene in the pair's last three outings.

9.45amTalking of Ennis, fellow Brit and former Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes as been discussing the 26-year-old's chances of following in her footsteps. Find out what she had to say here.

9.39amPerhaps the biggest of them all is Team GB's Jessica Ennis, who will be opening up her quest for heptathlon gold. The 100m, high jump, shot put and 200m (in that order) lay ahead for all the heptahletes.

9.37amIt is not a slow start either! Some of the biggest names in athletics will be present in the Olympic Stadium over the course of the day.

9.34amMorning all! After days and days of waiting, one of the main draws of an Olympic Games gets underway today - the athletics!
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