(BEFORE THEY WERE SUPERSTARS)
(JESSICA ENNIS-HILL)
(AGE: 23 DATE: JULY 2009)
(SPORT: ATHLETICS LOCATION: SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND)
Born and raised in Sheffield, England,
Jess is the daughter of a Jamaican father
and an English mother.
She was introduced to athletics at the age of ten.
Back in 2009, Jess was training
at the English Institute of Sport
which is based in her hometown.
Despite being smaller in size than most heptathletes,
standing at a comparatively short 1.65 metres,
Jess certainly had all the necessary attributes
to make a big impact on the world of track and field.
I think generally most of the heptathletes are quite tall,
quite strong, powerful, but obviously
I'm tiny and a little bit different.
At the start, when I started out doing heptathlon
people questioned whether I would be very good at it
just because of my height
and whether I'd be able to jump as high and stuff. But...
I think it's probably better to be a little bit taller,
but it's not a hindrance at all.
There's different shapes, really, but generally tall
and quite strong seems to be the best.
What she lacked in size,
Jess made up for in spring and speed.
She was the British women's high jump joint record holder
with a best of 1.95 metres.
During the athletics season, she trained six days a week,
spending most of her time at the Institute.
Her coach was Toni Minichiello,
and he remained with her throughout her career.
I would agree that she is not the tallest heptathlete
and somebody of that height isn't usually somebody
that you would put into an event like the heptathlon.
However, it's not the height of the individual,
it's what makes up that height,
and what she has got is very good fast-twitch fibres,
very good spring,
um,
but not much of a throwing arm. So you can teach the throwing,
but you can't teach people to be fast and springy.
In 2007, Jess claimed a surprise fourth place
at the senior World Championships in Japan.
Yes! I won!
Following a promising start to the 2008 season,
and looking a real medal prospect
for the Beijing Olympics,
Jess fractured her ankle in two places.
Sadly, this prevented her
from making her Olympic debut in Beijing.
It was a shock. I was a bit upset,
there were a few tears, but the one good thing was
that I was told there and then that there's no chance
that you're going to be able to make the Olympics.
You need to make sure it's healed properly
so it doesn't jeopardise any future recurring injuries.
So it was sort of, there and then, I knew.
So, there was no kind of hope. It's over for this year.
Er...
So, yeah, I spent a while a bit upset and a bit down,
but then once I could get back to the track
and start doing a few things - not putting weight on my foot -
I kind of started focusing on the next year
and getting ready for that.
Jess spent 11 months recovering from the injury,
but returned stronger than ever.
She had just qualified for the 2009 World Championships
with a personal best score of 6,587.
It was just a massive relief more than anything
because I didn't really know what to expect
coming into the season.
Obviously, starting a little bit later with certain events
and just the whole kind of winter season
was very different to any other season training
I had done before.
So, yeah, I felt in good shape,
but I didn't expect to score a PB.
I just wanted to go out there and score 6,100
to qualify for the worlds, and have done.
But, yeah, I scored a PB and it was just amazing.
At this stage of her career, Jess was working hard
on improving in the heptathlon's throwing events,
where her smaller stature was something of an issue.
Having a lower release point than most of her rivals,
she spent a lot of time working on her strength and technique
in order to throw further.
However, too much muscle and her performance
in the high and long jump could be affected,
so finding a balance between strength and speed was key.
It's a bit of both. She's got some really good strengths
in hurdles and high jump, so it's keeping those strong
and if in fact trying to find improvement.
As this year we've found improvement in hurdles.
High jump, it's going to be difficult to find a great deal
more improvement, so there's a diminishing return,
but in her weaker events, which are mainly the throws,
it is trying to push those
without losing the strengths that you've already got.
Whilst the 2012 London Olympic Games
were Jessica's long-term goal,
her focus back in July 2009
was on the forthcoming World Championships in Berlin.
Jess was one of only a few British athletes
with a realistic chance of winning a gold
at the Championships, and she didn't disappoint.
I think where she is, the level of performance
that she's already done,
I think she can improve on that this year.
Whether that's good enough to win a medal is difficult to say
because you can't predict what other people are going to do.
I think she can get out there in Berlin,
I think she can produce a personal best performance
and if that's good enough to win a medal
then that's the way it is.
If it wins the medal, the gold medal,
then that would be superb.
Jess!
Looking ahead to the 2012 London Olympics,
Jess wanted to fulfil her childhood dream
of winning Olympic gold,
and in front of her adoring home fans, she did just that.
I think for me it was kind of the age of 15
when I really thought I wanted to,
you know, take this seriously
and see what I can do and have a career out of it.
I just want to be remembered as, you know, a great athlete,
a great heptathlete.
I want to make major championships and win medals
and it'd be great if, when it comes round to 2012,
that I'm there and ready
and, you know, I can win a gold medal.