World Athletics day one: Jessica Ennis-Hill begins Heptathlon bid

Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium hosts the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships, which begin on Saturday with the men’s Marathon and 10000m contests opening and closing proceedings respectively.

Competing steadily throughout day one, and indeed the entire first weekend, in four of the seven disciplines which make up the Heptathlon, however, are British medal hopes Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

London Olympics golden girl Ennis-Hill has been a World Championships winner before back in 2009, but competes on a similarly elite athletics stage for the first time since the birth of her son. Coral make Ennis-Hill 11/4 to be best multi-disciplined woman, behind teammate Johnson-Thompson (5/2) and firm Gold medal favourite Brianne Theisen-Eatson (5/4).

On day one of the Heptathlon, these leading ladies and others start with the sprint hurdles over 100m, then take to the field for the high jump and shot put before returning to the track for 200m on the flat.

While you can’t win Gold until Sunday, you can certainly lose it. Ennis-Hill needs to keep in touch with the more fancied and fellow double-barrelled duo Johnson-Thompson and Theisen-Eaton. She has experience on her side and, unlike her fellow Brit and the Canadian, Ennis-Hill knows what it takes to win.

Mo Farah, another home hero from 2012, is odds-on at 2/5 to defend his world 10000m title against a strong African contingent and training partner Galen Rupp (14/1 for Gold), who has also seen his season mired in the controversy surrounding coach Alberto Salazar and doping allegations.

World record holders past and present Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich and Dennis Kipruto Kimetto go head-to-head in the men’s Marathon. Both in their prime at 33 and 31 respectively, this Kenyan couple are the main contenders for Gold.