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Extra events would force Ennis to quit

Jessica Ennis has revealed she could turn her focus exclusively to hurdles later in her career © PA Photos

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Jessica Ennis has revealed she would quit athletics if the women's multi-event were to be expanded.

Until 1980 the pentathlon was the multi-discipline event in women's athletics, at which point it was expanded to seven. Ennis, who struggled with an ankle injury earlier this year, is not impressed with talks of expanding the heptathlon to include yet more disciplines.

While the world champion revels in the varied challenge of the heptathlon, she admits seven events are more than enough to juggle.

"There's so much to do and fit in with what I do that just having one event means I'd get bored," Ennis told The Times. "[But] seven is enough. No way would I want to do another event. When there is talk of changing to a decathlon I think that's absolutely crazy and I would have to retire."

Ennis has laughed off claims that she is a "jack of all trades" and has revealed she could quit the heptathlon later in her career in order to focus her efforts on the hurdles. Ennis, whose personal best of 1.95m in the high jump equalled the British record, believes she cannot afford to have any weakness across the disciplines.

"I've got the equal British record in the high jump," she said. "I think that shows that you have to be at a very high standard. You're not going to win any medals if you are average. If you've got a weak event you're going to miss out on medals every time. I think that proves that it's a pretty tough event.

"Maybe one day when I've achieved all I want to achieve in the heptathlon I'll give one event a go. If I had to choose one I'd pick the hurdles. It would be nice to specialise and see what I could do with it."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.