On this day in Yorkshire: 4th August 2012 – Jessica Ennis wins Olympic Gold

It may have been a golden Saturday for team GB, but it was also a golden Olympics for Yorkshire. Sheffield’s Jessica Ennis led the way when she stormed down the home straight in the final event of the heptathlon, the 800 metres. The Yorkshire lass won the event handsomely, amassing a total of 6,955 points, 306 clear of the silver-medalist, Lilli Schwarzkop. The poster girl of the games had delivered in front of her home crowd and the athlete’s finish became one of the iconic moments of the XXX Olympiad. Ennis’ gold medal, along with long jumper, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah’s victory in the 10,000 meters within an hour of each other capped a fantastic night for team GB. It must not be forgotten that Ennis’ gold medal contributed to a Yorkshire total of 7 golds, 2 silvers and 3 bronzes, meaning that the region would have finished 12th in the overall medals table if it was an independent country; above Spain, South Aftrica and 2016 hosts, Brazil.

Cover picture credit: Robbie Dale wikipedia creative commons.