Ella Rush faces toughest test in javelin but holds eleventh place

The sixth event in the heptathlon was one of the most challenging for Gibraltar athlete Ella Rush.
Already knowing she ranked among the weakest in the field, with the second-shortest season's best, any improvement in her overall combined score ranking would require her not only to improve on her own distance but also to hope others fell short of their personal bests.
Sitting eleventh in the standings, with only small margins separating many of the competitors, the javelin and the concluding 800m were two crucial events in which Rush would need to produce her very best if she was to challenge for a place in the top ten.
With only the first seven athletes having completed their opening attempts, Ella could already see the difficult task ahead of her, with five of those seven already surpassing the 36m mark.
Ella's first throw measured 31.88m, the thirteenth-best opening attempt. However, she saw Allie Routledge (SCO), Lucy Woodward (JEY) and Adele Mafogang Tenkeu (CMR) all record longer first throws. All three were directly behind her in the overall standings and threatening to overtake her if they could continue to reduce the points gap.
Before her second attempt, Ella watched Briana Stephenson improve to 35.19m, lifting herself above Ella, Lucy and Adele, adding further pressure.
Adele also improved, reaching 33.81m.
Rush responded with a second throw of 30.06m, falling short of her opening mark. It was the first time during the competition that she had failed to improve on a previous attempt in any event.
With one attempt remaining, Ella sat fourteenth in the javelin standings while still holding eleventh place in the overall heptathlon rankings. She knew that to close the gap on Briana Stephenson, immediately above her in the combined standings, she would have to produce a personal best. Her personal best of 35.20m would have only been enough to match Stephenson's best throw.
Lucy Woodward extended her best mark to 34.62m, while Scotland's Allie Routledge finished with 38.37m.
Katherine O'Connor led the event with a throw of 52.85m.
Ella Rush was the final athlete to throw. Her third attempt measured 31.53m, just short of her opening throw, leaving her fourteenth in the javelin standings.
Only Hannah Blair (CAN), with a best throw of 28.20m, finished below her.
Despite finishing fourteenth in the event, Ella Rush held on to eleventh place in the overall heptathlon standings.
With no existing Gibraltar senior women's national record in the javelin, her best throw of 31.88m became an automatic national record.

Javelin Throw Results
Pos Athlete Country Distance Points
1 Katherine O'Connor NIR 52.85m 915
2 Tori West AUS 47.24m 807
3 Jade O'Dowda ENG 43.85m 741
4 Ellen Barber ENG 42.77m 721
5 Sienna MacDonald CAN 42.21m 710
6 Maddie Wilson NZL 40.37m 674
7 Niamh Emerson ENG 39.91m 666
8 Allie Routledge SCO 38.37m 636
9 Anna McCauley NIR 36.99m 610
10 Mia Scerri AUS 36.30m 596
11 Briana Stephenson NZL 35.19m 575
12 Lucy Woodward JEY 34.62m 564
13 Adele Mafogang Tenkeu CMR 33.81m 549
14 Ella Rush GIB 31.88m 512
15 Hannah Blair CAN 28.20m 443