by Larry Eder
Jessica Ennis, 2010 AVIVA Gateshead, photo by PhotoRun.net
Jessica Ennis is the 2009 World Champion at the heptahlon. In 2010, she won the European Championships at the hep, 6,823 points, only EIGHT points off the British record! In 2010,
Jessica won the World Indoor Champs as well.
” I would like to get the British record. I think that those eight points will come from either the long jump or the throws. I changed my long jump approach, now starting with the right foot and I can’t imagine starting with my left foot now.” noted Jessica, who seems more and more relaxed in the myriad of interviews that she performed today.
That Ennis has pressure is an understatement. She is arguably the most prominent athlete from UK besides Mo Farah, and as the defending champion in the heptathlon, Jessica carries the hopes of her nation on her shoulders. And 2011 is nothing like the pressure that she will have in 2012.
With her coach, Toni Minichiello, Jessica has a coach/advisor that knows her strengths and weaknesses. They have shored up her throws, including the javelin, which was a major weakness (and still has room for great improvement, which is coming), and MInichiello worked with Ennis on changing her approach to the long jump.
The heptathlon is seven events, which is, to paraphrase Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon (and current TV actor), seven different ways to make mistakes. The truth be told, Jessica Ennis does not often make mistakes.
Look at her pbs in the Heptathlon: 12.81 in the 100 m hurdles, 1.95m in the high jump, 14.61mi/14.14m in the shot put, 23.15 in the 200 meters. On the second day, Ennis has pbs of 6.54mi/6.51m in the long jump, 46.71m in the javelin throw and 2:08.46 in the 800 meters.
Jessica Ennis has had her tough times. In 2008 at Gotzis, Jessica sustained a triple stress fracture in her right ankle, which made the Beijing Olympics impossible. In 2009, she came back and won the World Champs brilliantly.
How will she do in Daegu? Our guess is that Jessica Ennis, who noted, ” I hope that I am a better athlete than two years ago, ” will outshine the competition and defend her victory from Berlin.
We will look forward to her competition on Tuesday!
