Lewis proves a point

Denise Lewis kicked off the defence of her Olympic crown today with her brightest opening to a heptathlon since she won the title in Sydney.

And there was more good news for Team GB as Campbell Walsh won silver in canoeing.

Back at the track, there was concern after it emerged Darren Campbell faces a race to be fit for tomorrow's 100metres heats after suffering a slight hamstring tear.

Lewis has been written off in many quarters as a mum who has left her best athetics days long behind. But she appeared determined to confound everyone with an opening salvo which suggests she believes she can pull off her "mission miracle" to become the first British woman athlete to win two successive Olympic golds.

The 31-year-old, who only six weeks ago walked away from the Olympic trials in Manchester on crutches, produced easily her best 100m hurdles run of the season and a solid high jump peformance.

She clocked 13.40sec to win her hurdles heat, her best of the year by nearly half a second, to move into sixth place then cleared 1.73m in the high jump, fine efforts in two of the events which have troubled her so much because of her foot problems since Sydney.

Still, though, Carolina Kluft, the world No1 Swede, gave notice of her intentions, clocking 13.21sec, just outside her lifetime best, and clearing 1.91m in the high jump. Lewis was also upstaged by Birchfield team-mate Kelly Sotherton who produced three life-time bests in the high jump to surge ahead of her compatriot and go second in the standings behind Kluft.

Campbell will wait until tomorrow before deciding whether he is fit enough to run. He thought he had been suffering only from cramp but, after an MRI scan, yesterday discovered he had a slight tear in his right hamstring.