Hurdle error costs unlucky Ennis

21 May 2012, 4:33 pm   -   Source: AAP

An officiating blunder has cost British heptathlete Jessica Ennis a personal best in the 100m hurdles.

British heptathlete Jessica Ennis has been left to rue a massive mistake by race officials after she was denied a personal best in the 100m hurdles.

Officials setting up the barriers for the race at the Powerade Great CityGames failed to put out a 10th and final hurdle, rendering invalid Ennis' impressive clocking of 12.75 seconds.

The heptathlete still took the scalps of two notable hurdles specialists on the raised track on Manchester's Deansgate, claiming victory ahead of Olympic champion Dawn Harper and world silver medallist and fellow American Danielle Carruthers.

But the mistake, which was blamed on "human error" from UK Athletics officials, took some of the shine off a performance which will still send Ennis into her first heptathlon of the Olympic year in Gotzis next weekend full of confidence.

"I can't believe that. It's a great event, but that's a massive, massive mess-up," said Ennis.

"You expect that all the hurdles will be out and everything's the way it should be.

"You just run as fast as you can and get across the line and that's what I did, but unfortunately it wasn't set up right."

Ennis, the former heptathlon world champion and the face of the 2012 Olympics, did not realise at the time there was a hurdle missing and it was not until about 30 minutes after the race that the error was officially confirmed.

Reigning world champion Sally Pearson from Australia is the short-priced favourite to win the 100m hurdles gold medal at the London Olympics.

Pearson set her personal best of 12.28 in the final at last year's world titles in Daegu.

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