A golden girl

IT was not that Jessica Ennis, the golden girl of British sport, added the European Championships to the world title that she won a year ago; it was the manner of her victory that was so inspiring.

By The Newsroom

Published 2nd Aug 2010, 15:13 BST

Updated 2nd Aug 2010, 15:13 BST

Whenever the 24-year-old heptathlete from Sheffield was challenged by Nataliya Dobrynska, her great rival and the reigning Olympic champion, she dug even deeper, with trademark Yorkshire grit and determination, to repel a stellar field.

The steel that the girl from the steel city showed bodes well for the 2012 Olympics when Jess will be one of the favourites to strike gold for Britain.

She, and her coach Toni Minichiello, have certainly shown that they can handle the pressure, and that they will not be basking on past glories ahead of their ultimate date with destiny.

It certainly helps that Jess is a born winner, but she also has a wonderfully warm and engaging personality.

With that winning smile, is there any finer advertisement, or role model, for Yorkshire? It's hard to think of one.

Yorkshire Sheffield