I’ll never forget the first time Jessica Ennis-Hill blew me away. It was 2009 and we were following her progress at the world championships in Berlin. Her buildup to the event had been horrible – missing the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with a broken ankle and having to retrain for the long jump using a different leg for take off. We knew she was in brilliant form, despite the setbacks, but in the shot put she stuttered. Two weak throws and her points tally suddenly looked shaky. Then, on her final attempt, she gathered herself together and pulled out a personal best.
That’s Jess all over. Queen of the bounceback. Determination off the scale. Winner of five golds, three silvers and one bronze. Some people celebrate that kind of moment by punching the air, or leering in the face of their opponents. Jess just gave a quiet little skip, clapped her hands together and got on with the job.
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