One to Watch March 2007
British athlete Jessica Ennis on why her nickname is Tadpole and her hopes for the London 2012 Olympics
JESSICA ENNIS, THE RISING STAR OF BRITISH ATHLETICS, DISCUSSES HER SPRINT TO THE TOP, HER LOVE OF CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS AND TRAINING FOR THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS
When did you realise that you could run like the wind?
I went to summer athletics camp when I was 10 and it just went from there. At 13 I had a trainer and he advised me try out as a heptathlete, which has seven athletic disciplines – that’s what I do today.
Why were you called the Tadpole at the 2006 Commonwealth Games?
Kelly Sotherton, my teammate, gave me that nickname. She thinks I’m small for an athlete; I’m 1.64m [5’ 4”] and I was only 20 at the time so I was young to be in an international team.
But I had my best results to date and won a bronze medal.
Most of us have trouble running for the bus. How do you do it?
The training is intense. I do three-to-four hour sessions daily, six days a week. Some of the running sessions are very tough, especially when I am battling the elements and wading through mud in a park.
Were there a lot of sacrifices to get to this point?
I’ve had to sacrifice nights out with friends to make sure I could get up for early training sessions. Same with girlie holidays as the competition season runs through the summer. But I try to have a balance and find time for my boyfriend, friends and shopping.
Can you eat what you want?
A nutritionist advises me on what to eat but I have a real weakness for chocolate, especially chocolate éclairs.
What will it take to get to the London 2012 Olympics?
Everything I do is a stepping-stone to the next competition. I’m preparing for the World Championships this summer, then eventually the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It’s a long road.
Who’s your biggest inspiration and rival?
The same person: the Swedish athlete Carolina Kluft. She achieved so much at a young age and now she is the biggest competitor to beat for any heptathlete. She’s also incredibly grounded and really lovely; it’s very annoying.
READY, SET, GO: JESSICA’S CV
BORN IN SHEFFIELD, Ennis, 21, is studying psychology at the city’s university and is a member of the Sheffield Athletic Club. The sporting role model won gold at the World Junior Championships in 2005. At her first appearance in a senior championship – the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne – she reached 1.91m in the High Jump, which would have won her a gold medal for the individual event, but she won bronze for the Heptathlon. Catch Ennis, who is sponsored by Vonage, the internet telephone company (www.vonage.co. uk), in action at the European Indoor Athletic Championships in Birmingham, 2-4 March (www..necgroup.co.uk).
Words: Emma Juhasz
