Ennis opts not to gamble

Ennis, who was one of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s team’s big medal hopes, has called time on her indoor season due to an inflammation of the left ankle which also caused her to pull out of the second day of the trials in her home town and then the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham.

An MRI scan, her third since the injury occurred in mid-February, has shown improvement over the past two weeks but not enough to risk participating in Friday’s pentathlon.

Ennis said: “I have thought long and hard about whether to compete at the European Indoor Championships in Paris, and if I am really honest I just don’t want to risk any further damage to my ankle and calf.

“As it is, the inflammation and fluid build-up is reducing and I could potentially get through the pentathlon with medication, but there is no guarantee that it will not worsen as a result and then mess up the start of my outdoor season.

“I cannot take this risk. The World Championships has to be my priority. I would like to wish the rest of the team a really successful championships.”

The news is a blow to Britain’s medal hopes in Paris, with a fully-fit Ennis an odds-on favourite to add the European indoor crown to the world title she won in Doha in March last year.

But it also does not come as a surprise with the defence of her world title in Daegu, South Korea, in August, her major focus.