Sotherton finishes in fifth place

Kelly Sotherton was forced to settle for fifth place in the Olympic heptathlon after a disappointing performance in Beijing.

Sotherton won bronze in Athens four years ago and came into the event as one of the favourites in the absence of reigning champion Carolina Kluft.

But the 31-year-old never found top form after a year disrupted by illness and injury and ended up 102 points off a bronze medal and 216 adrift of new champion Nataliia Dobrynska of the Ukraine.

Dobrynska won by 33 points from compatriot Lyudmila Blonska, with American Hyleas Fountain claiming bronze a further 81 points adrift.

Sotherton came into the second day of competition in third place but could only record a best of 6.33metres in the long jump, traditionally one of her strongest events.

That dropped her down to fifth and although she shrugged off a foul in the opening round to record a best of 37.66m in the javelin, and set a new personal best of two minutes 7.34 seconds in the 800m, it was not good enough.