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All eyes on athlete with winning smile who swapped steel for gold
THE London Olympics may be three years away but, already, Sheffield's newly-crowned heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis is being touted as the face of the 2012 Games.
Much as Australian 400m idol Cathy Freeman became the symbol of Sydney 2000, lighting the flame at the opening ceremony before following up with a memorable gold medal, 23-year-old Ennis is likely to be seen as Team GB's leading light for 2012.
The weekend's efforts in Berlin over seven events marked the
culmination of 12 years hard work for Ennis, born and bred in the Steel City where there is expected to be a memorable party on her return next week.
It all seems a far cry from 12 months ago when Ennis was stuck at home with her feet up instead of being in Beijing's Bird's Nest where she had been hoping to compete for an Olympic medal.
A triple stress fracture of the right foot ended that particular dream, but her heroics in Berlin's Olympic Stadium have gone some way to easing the pain she felt at missing out last year.
The disappointment over her inability to compete at Beijing resulted in her family staying at home, rather than being in Berlin to witness her triumph, however.
Relatives had been all set to go to Beijing, and Ennis felt, wrongly, that she had let them down. That emotion prompted the decision from her family not to go to Germany this time around.
Her mother, Alison Powell, said: "Jessica felt guilty that we'd paid out to go to Beijing. She just felt guilty she'd let everyone down.
"We talked to her and we decided, as parents, that we didn't want to put that extra pressure on her. We didn't want her to think 'they've all paid out to go to Berlin' and we didn't want her to worry.
"We knew we wouldn't get to see her. We see her more on TV than if we'd been out there. We're just going to have a big party when she gets back."
Ennis's father, Vincent Ellis, said her stunning triumph meant the whole family could finally relax after a nerve-riddled few days.
"Ever since she was a little girl she always wanted to stand on the top of a podium and there she is," he said. "I'm just so proud of her."
While her family, friends and supporters were busy biting their finger nails during the two-day event, the most composed person around was Ennis herself who, despite her tender years, remained a model of calmness.
One thing which may have helped the City of Sheffield athlete retain her composure was a psychology degree from the University of Sheffield, where she went after completing her A Levels at King Ecgbert School in Dore.
Professor Peter Totterdell, who guided Ennis through her 13,000-word dissertation entitled "Mood Regulation and the Depletion of a Limited Resource", said it came as no surprise that his former student was able to achieve success so early in her career.
"What always struck me about Jessica was how organised she actually was – given that six days a week she was also training for the heptathlon," he said. "Her dissertation was about controlling your emotions and the effect that can have on the physical aspect of your performance.
"I don't know whether she was using her studies or not out in Berlin but she did seem to be very much in control.
"She's going to come under even more pressure in the build-up to London – I just hope the media give her a bit of breathing space."
Rick Cotgreave, her PE teacher at King Ecgbert School, said: "When she came to our school aged 11, she was already an accomplished athlete.
"She will enjoy being world champion but she'll never let it go to her head, she is far too modest to let that happen."
JESSICA ENNIS FACTFILE
1986: Born January 28, in Sheffield.
1997-2004: Attends King Ecgbert School, Dore.
2004-2007: Studies for psychology degree at University of Sheffield, graduating with a 2:2.
2006: After success at junior level, Ennis joins the senior ranks and, in March, wins a bronze medal in her first professional tournament at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
2007: Breaks Denise Lewis's under-23 British record for the heptathlon and qualifies for the Beijing Olympics.
2008: Stress fractures on her right foot mean she cannot compete at Beijing.
2009: Convincingly wins gold at World Championships in Berlin, with a new lifetime best of 6,731 points.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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