Weight of expectation sits well as Ennis prepares for gold trail

Unlike the sprints and middle-distance events, which are made considerably weaker by the absence of Caribbean, American and African competitors, the heptathlon is primarily dominated by Europeans.

Ennis is the current world indoor and outdoor multi-event champion but the Sheffield athlete knows nothing other than a score close to her personal best of 6,731 points will see her compete for gold.

After breaking through in 2005 by winning the European Junior Championship title, it was Ennis's performances at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze and then her eighth-placed finish at the European Championships that catapulted her into the public eye.

But with the likes of Russia's Tatyana Chernova and Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska of the Ukraine offering stiff competition in Barcelona, Ennis insists she will make sure that the weight of expectation to top the podium will not derail her pursuit of European glory.

"It would mean so much to win the Europeans – I believe it is on a par with the worlds and having missed the Beijing Olympics in 2008 through injury it would mean everything to me to win it," said Ennis, who has been selected for the Aviva GB & NI Team and is finishing her build-up at a pre-event preparation camp in Portugal.

"The athletes at the top of the heptathlon are mainly Europeans, meaning the competition is very strong so I think it would be right up there with the worlds if I win it.

"I want to carry on what I have been doing as well and I don't want to let off for any major competition I am entered in to.

"The last Europeans and my first one were in Gothenburg and I finished eighth there and that was my first senior year really.

"I had the Commonwealth Games in March which was a really big thing for me and that was the starting point for me winning that bronze medal there.

"So I went to the Europeans for experience and finished eighth and I was quite happy and that was what was expected.

"This year it is obviously very different because it is the main focus for me and I come back with a lot of success behind me.

"Thinking back it seems ages ago and so much has changed since then so I am very grateful with the direction it is going and I just have to keep it going."

Ennis, 24, is the red-hot favourite to top the heptathlon podium in Barcelona, having collected world indoor pentathlon gold in Doha this March, seven months after seizing the world crown in Berlin.

At the IAAF combined events challenge in Gotzis in May, Ennis collected an emphatic victory in difficult conditions, defeating Chernova and Dobrynska in the process.

Such is her standing within the British squad that UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee has handed Ennis the captaincy of the 72-strong team that will be competing in Barcelona.

The British squad has spent the last week preparing as a group at the preparation camp in Monte Gordo, where they have watched motivational videos of Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell winning Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Former 100m champion Christie has also delivered a motivational speech to the squad on what they should expect in Spain.

Ennis, who insists she will concentrate on her own performance first and foremost in Barcelona, has promised to lead by example and land the heptathlon crown.

"I am probably someone who will try and lead by example as captain because I am not a great speech giver," added Ennis.

"It is very nice being captain and it is an absolute honour to be asked but I hate giving speeches. I did that the other day but it was a great experience and it was something to embrace and enjoy.

"I don't really have any captaincy experience. I was captain of the team at the Grand Prix in Glasgow but it wasn't like a championship, it was quite a small meeting, so being captain is something that is very new to me.

"I wrote it down and rehearsed it but you know it never really goes to plan.

"But everyone said they enjoyed it and it was really good, but I think they were just trying to be nice."

n Aviva's support, both at home and abroad, is helping the team prepare to compete at their best. Watch the Aviva GB & NI Team live in action at the Aviva London Grand Prix. For more details visit aviva.co.uk/athletics