• London Olympics 2012

Ennis' golden hopes hit by schedule

ESPN staff
October 22, 2010
Jessica Ennis is the British record holder in the 60 metres hurdles © Getty Images
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Jessica Ennis' dreams of claiming double Olympic gold in London have hit a setback after organisers failed to listen to her request to 'pull a few strings' when preparing the athletics timetable.

Ennis had hoped the organising committee (LOCOG) would schedule a few days' rest between the end of the heptathlon and the start of the 110m hurdles to allow her to compete in both events.

A similar favour was granted to Michael Johnson at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 in his bid to win 200m and 400m gold. But according to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the draft timetable allows Ennis just 36 hours to recover between the heptathlon and the hurdles.

Ennis had planned to attempt the double at last summer's World Championships, but was forced to withdraw from the hurdles after her heptathlon victory. Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello refused to rule out an attempt at the double, but admitted the gap between events was shorter than they had hoped.

"It's incredibly tight," Minichiello said. "Because it's the same as the Berlin timetable, it's probably too tight. I don't want to rule it out because I need to have a discussion with Jess. It's certainly something we'll still consider but I'm not sure. It might just be too tight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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