Ganna Melnychenko wins heptathlon at Worlds Championships

Moscow: Ganna Melnychenko of Ukraine won the heptathlon gold medal at the world championships on Tuesday for her first major title.

Melnychenko finished just behind closet rival Brianne Theisen Eaton of Canada in the final 800-meter race, but it was enough to protect her lead. Theisen Eaton earned the silver and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands took the bronze.

Melnychenko collected 6,586 points, while Theisen Eaton had 6,530 and Schippers had 6,477.

Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill and defending champion Tatyana Chernova both are injured and missed the championships.

Theisen Eaton's husband, Ashton Eaton, won the decathlon on Sunday. The two were married last month.