Jessica Ennis-Hill urges IAAF to impose lifetime bans on drugs cheats after Justin Gatlin's 100m win

Ennis-Hill receives her reallocated gold from the 2011 Daegu Championships
Getty Images

Jessica Ennis-Hill called on the IAAF, athletics' governing body, to enforce lifetime bans on drugs cheats after Justin Gatlin's 100 metre World Championships win.

The 31-year-old fought back tears as she returned to the scene of her London 2012 triumph to receive her heptathlon gold medal from the 2011 World Championships.

Ennis-Hill was presented with the medal, denied her at the time by Russian drug cheat Tatyana Chernova, by Lord Coe just before Gatlin received his 100m title on Sunday evening.

Gatlin, banned twice for doping violations, was booed on the podium having also denied Usain Bolt a fairytale finale after the Jamaican finished third.

And Ennis-Hill believes if the IAAF banned dopers for life there would be no discussion over Gatlin's reception or his eligibility.

She said: "It's a very difficult one. He's served two bans and served his time but at the same time it's for the Federation to step in. And if we had lifetime bans then we wouldn't find ourselves in this situation and we wouldn't have the boos.

"It would stop the confusion and situations like this happening. It is the Federation's responsibility.

"There's some incredible performances, it's great to see Usain Bolt come out and perform the way he does. It was sad he didn't win but it's still an amazing spectacle."

Before Gatlin's presentation, a beaming Ennis-Hill, who is pregnant with her second child, waved and blew kisses to the crowd before almost welling up as the national anthem played.

The gold, six years late, was Ennis-Hill's third world heptathlon title.

She said: "I would like to have had it at the time but there couldn't have been a better place and moment to receive it here in the stadium, so it was really special.

In Pictures | World Athletics Championships 2017

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"It feels very strange. I've never been in the situation where I've come to the stadium, watched, not actually physically exerted myself, stood on the podium and received a gold medal.

"I've had so many great memories here so to come back here and say bye one last time, soak up the atmosphere and stand on the podium has been a great way to end my career."

The Briton was upgraded from silver when Chernova was found guilty of blood doping, and the result was finally rubber-stamped last month when the Russian's appeal against her ban was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ennis-Hill, who retired after winning silver at last year's Olympics in Rio, shared an emotional hug on the podium with Germany's Jennifer Oeser, the new silver medallist from Daegu.

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