Jessica Ennis-Hill

  • Full name Jessica Ennis-Hill
  • Also known as Jessica Ennis
  • Birth date January 28, 1986
  • Birth place Sheffield
  • Current age 38 years 51 days
  • Height 5 ft 4 in
Jessica Ennis celebrates being crowned world champion
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On August 4, 2012, Jessica Ennis lived up to her billing as the golden girl of London 2012, as she broke her own British record to be crowned Olympic champion.

A Sheffield girl born and bred, Ennis started athletics at 13, and her talent was quickly recognised. She made her international debut in the 2003 World Youth Championships, and two years later won gold at the European Junior Championships in Lithuania.

Ennis made her senior debut in 2006, aged 20. She immediately made an impact, winning bronze medal at her first major championships, at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne behind team-mate Kelly Sotherton who won gold. Her score of 1.91m in the high jump would have been enough to win a gold medal in the individual event. At the European Championships in Gothenburg later that year, Ennis could only manage eighth, but set a new personal best of 6,287.

By 2007, just her second season on the circuit, Ennis was ranked fourth behind Carolina Klüft, Lyudmyla Blonska and compatriot Kelly Sotherton. At the World Championships in Osaka, she finished fourth, winning all three track events. An impressive second season she was awarded the inaugural European Athletics Rising Star Award.

By 2008, Ennis was on track for her first Olympics, but in June 2008 she suffered heartbreak when it was announced she had suffered a stress fracture in her ankle and would be unable to compete in Beijing.

After a year out with injury, she returned in 2009 with a bang, and stormed back with a number of impressive victories to put her at the top of the world rankings. She was the favourite going into the world championships in Berlin and she didn't disappoint. She stormed to a 307 point lead on the first day, and after letting her lead slip to 171 points after the long jump and javelin events, she stormed clear of the field in the 800m to win her heat and take the event with a new personal best of 6731 points.

She was awarded sportswoman of the year by the Sports Journalists' Association but missed out on BBC Sports Personality of the Year to Ryan Giggs.

She carried on where she left off in 2010, winning gold in the pentathlon at the world indoor title before adding the European heptathlon title to her growing medal collection. However, she suffered a knock in confidence when she lost her world title to Russia's Tatyana Chernova in 2011.

The poster girl of London 2012, Ennis was under huge pressure heading into the Olympics, but she looked to be in good form as she broke Lewis' national record in the run-up to the Games. In front of 80,000 fans she fulfilled her dream of becoming Olympic champion in style, breaking her own British record.

Career high
Ennis lived up to her status as the golden girl of London 2012, setting three personal bests en route to winning Olympic gold in front of her home crowd. She beat nearest rival Lilli Schwarzkopf by over 300 points as she broke her own British record - falling just 45 points short of the magic 7000-point barrier.

Career low
Ennis' Olympic dreams were shattered when she suffered a stress fracture in her right ankle, ruling her out of the Olympics. The injury kept her out of competition for a year, and she admitted at one stage she didn't know if she would be able to make a comeback.

Quotes
'We need someone in the sport, we need a story, someone who the British public know so when you say "Jess" they know exactly who she is, what event, you don't have to explain it, she is recognised by what she's done." Former Olympic heptathlon champion and British record holder Denise Lewis

"It's been the longest two days of my life but the best. I can't believe it. I'm the world champion, I feel like crying. I've dreamt so many times about winning medals and becoming world champion, doing a lap of honour. It's the best feeling in the world. I can't even put into words how I feel right now, it's such an adrenaline rush and such an amazing feeling." On becoming world champion

Trivia
At just 5'4", Ennis is one of the smallest competitors on the heptathlon circuit. Her GB team-mate and rival Kelly Sotherton has nicknamed her "Tadpole".

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May 18, 2013

Jessica Ennis faces the media after her wedding to Andy Hill

Feb 28, 2013

Jessica Ennis poses with members of the Yeoman of the Guard after she received a CBE,

Sep 10, 2012

Jessica Ennis waves to the crowd

Sep 10, 2012

Jessica Ennia shows off her gold medal

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