'Surreal' moment of receiving re-allocated gold in front of home fans

A tearful Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill declared there could have been no better place than a packed London Stadium to receive her re-allocated World Championships gold medal.

Ennis-Hill was finally presented with the 2011 heptathlon title robbed from her in Daegu by Russian drugs cheat Tatyana Chernova in the build-up to the scene of her fairytale triumph at London 2012.

This year’s worlds had already witnessed several such medal ceremonies for the likes of Jo Pavey and Christine Ohuruogu but the recently-retired queen of British athletics proved the most popular recipient of all.

Almost five years to the day since she stood atop the podium at the same venue after winning Olympic gold, a visibly moved Ennis-Hill admitted it was both “really special” and “very surreal” to do so once more.

Heavily pregnant with her second child and with her son, Reggie, looking on, the 31-year-old said of her second of three world golds: “It obviously feels amazing. I would loved to have had it at the time but there couldn’t have been a better place bar having it at that actual moment.