Ganna Melnichenko of Ukraine won the heptathlon gold medal at the world championships Tuesday for her first major title.
Melnichenko 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.
Melnichenko 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.
The Eatons finished their working honeymoon in Russia on Tuesday, ever so close to making it a double-gold celebration at the world championships.
But Theisen Eaton failed to sufficiently shake Melnichenko in the final 800-meter race of the heptathlon and finished with a silver medal two days after husband Ashton Eaton won the decathlon.
After two days of competition, Theisen Eaton no longer had the legs to create a decisive gap ahead of Melnichenko. And while the Ukrainian wrapped herself in her national flag, Theisen Eaton wrapped herself in the embrace of her smiling husband.
Barely a month after marriage, they proved it was a near-perfect competitive match as she gained her first international medal.
