“I wasn’t the kind of kid who would get A’s without even trying. I had to work to get good grades, but I was very organised about it because I always wanted to do well at everything I did. I’m very competitive.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I started training with school friends and, one by one, they all dropped out. When we became teenagers, it seemed more exciting to go shopping at weekends. My mum told me not to worry about what my friends were doing and to stick at it.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I’m proud of the way I’ve dealt with setbacks. It’s hard when you feel down and you think, ‘Why is the world doing this to me?’ But you have to pick yourself up again. That’s what makes you a better athlete.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“People think the gold medal is yours and they say you’re going to win – but they have no idea how hard it is. People aren’t doing it negatively – they’re mostly lovely and they really do want you to win – but they don’t understand the difficulty and intensity of competition.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“On a scale of one to 10, I’d rate my body confidence as a good seven. Everyone has their hang-ups, but I see my body as a training tool and I feel good about it.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I do watch what I eat but I’ve got a real sweet tooth.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I’ve always known what I wanted. I’ve always wanted to be on top of that podium.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“It’s quite funny in that I once won Rear of the Year at my school! I was about 17 in the sixth form and we used to have an end of year celebration and give out different awards. I even got a little trophy!”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“To unwind after training, I love to have a long hot soak in the bath, then veg out on the sofa with a box set. I’m a box-set junkie! I absolutely love ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“My idea of beauty is somebody that doesn’t have to try too much, someone who is effortless and fresh.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I learned what I need to do in the long jump, what I needed to do in the javelin and I’ve been able to rectify those events. It’s been a bit of a learning curve, which is good.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“People who aren’t perhaps that into sport are going to be following me and wanting to be part of the Olympics. That definitely does bring added pressure but as an athlete the Olympics are the ultimate competition.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I was around 15 when I first wanted to compete in an Olympics. I even remember the first time I got to wear a GB kit as a junior. I’ve even kept it. It’s in my mum’s loft somewhere, probably gone mouldy by now.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I want to experience that massive adrenalin rush when you step into a new stadium, all the more so when that Olympic Stadium is packed full of people waving British flags.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I carry a golf ball to put under my feet when they get tight, and a Thera-Band for general stretching.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I don’t look at Twitter between events because it’s a distraction but I will ring my fiance and parents to let them know how it’s going.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“After my first day of competition I put on compression socks. They help me recover for the next day.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“To get the adrenaline pumping between events – or to help me switch off, Jay Z, the Roots and Drake are on my playlist.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“There was a massive poster of me down my road, right outside the chip shop. I was about to go in, but then I saw it and changed my mind. Me coming out with a bag of chips, while I’m up there doing crunches on the poster… well, it would not look good.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“One minute you’re a developing athlete trying to get to the top, then the next minute you do well and win a medal somewhere, and then it’s all foisted on you. You never know when it’s going to happen. You don’t think about the media side of things when you’re a young athlete trying to do well.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Things have changed so much, with Facebook and Twitter. Everyone is so much more accessible these days: no British athlete has ever experienced what we are experiencing now. It’s such a unique situation with the home Olympics.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Training is full-on. Some days I really don’t want to get out of bed and hit that track again. Sunday and Monday morning sessions are always horrible. But who really looks forward to going to work on a Monday morning?”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“We always spend more time on the throwing events and a little bit more on the long jump. They’re my weaker events – they don’t come as naturally to me as running and jumping. I like the hurdles and the high-jump, I’m a springy, speedy athlete so those suit me.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I think there’s going to be pressure on all the British athletes. It’s a home Olympics at the end of the day. I like adrenaline, that’s something I feed off. I’m just going to go out there and do my best.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I don’t want to think of life after competing. But if I were to do anything else I’d go down the psychology route. That’s what interests me.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“It’s really important for me to look good before a race. I definitely think if I feel I look good, it makes me feel more confident.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I love getting dressed up for red carpet events and having my hair and makeup done professionally – that definitely helps with nerves of going down the red carpet.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I love championships. That’s when I want to be at my best. I love those environments. It brings the best out of me.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“As soon as I had a child, he became the priority. Now, I fit my training around him. I’ve changed as an athlete.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“There is a need to be the best you can be. You can’t panic; you concentrate. When I run up to the hurdles, I’m very nervous, but I’ll tend to think about technical things to keep my mind focused.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“With athletics, you put all that training in for only two major championships a year and the Olympics every four years. So when you get on top of the podium, it is relief and excitement and… Oh! it has all been worthwhile… the hard work, the sacrifices.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“The closer I get to retirement, the more I feel it will be a huge change, a shock, because athletics has been the core of my whole life. I know I’ll miss the feeling of running fast, the adrenaline rush, and hearing the crowd cheering me on.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Motherhood has changed me as a person. I’m much happier and very content with life. That can only transfer positively to the track. It will make me a better athlete.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I have always been small and one of the smallest heptathletes out there. And earlier in my career, I was faced with coaches and athletes who felt I was too small to be a multi-eventer. It gives you a push to show you can do it.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Being a mother changes perspective. Things that were once really important, the sole focus of your life, aren’t the same.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“To be confident going out and performing, I need to be with my son for as long as possible; then I know I’m happy, and he’s happy, and I can go out and put all my energy into performing.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I started training again four months after giving birth, and it was strange not to be fully in control – I’m so used to my body performing at a certain level, but it wasn’t. I was like, ‘Oh, man, can we go back to where we were, please?’”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I get my competitive edge from my mum. When we’re together, we’re competitive about little things – it’ll be, ‘I can bake cakes better than you can.’ But she’s never been a pushy parent; she’s always just supported me.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“After I stop competing, I’d like to do something that inspires people to get active and fit.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I don’t wear strappy tops. Everyone feels self-conscious about something on their body. It’s just finding a style that works for you, and I don’t really suit strappy tops or dresses, so I avoid them.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I’ve always said that you’re obviously doing something right if you have got pressure on you.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I think that’s one of the first things you’d say if you met me: that I am just nice and smiley. And that’s how I might appear when I’m not competing. But I’m totally different when it comes to sport. It’s just something that seems to be within me. It’s not external or visual. But it’s within me.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I dislike conflict, so I do try and steer clear of arguments. Apart from with my coach. Who I literally have an argument with every day.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I think, now that I am a mother, I look at other mums like Jo Pavey and just mums that go back to work and work incredibly hard, and I have so much admiration and appreciation for how hard it is.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“From 15 or 16, I always wanted to be an Olympic champion, but I don’t think you ever believe it until it actually happens.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I love being part of campaigns and events that are working with kids and just sharing my personal experiences.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Some athletes feel they have to show they’re confident and talk about what they’re going to achieve. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with just quietly believing in yourself and just getting on with it. You don’t have to talk about it all the time; you want your performances to show for it.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I’m so impatient. I can’t even stand waiting for a cab, and I’m always early for everything. In training, it means I want to run my personal best every session – but it takes time.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I don’t know how long my body will allow me to compete, but I can’t imagine doing anything else. That day will come, and I just hope there’ll be a light shining down a path telling me where to go.”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
“I sit down with my coach to watch past performances. But I can be very critical. I don’t watch myself very often – it makes me cringe!”
― Jessica Ennis-Hill
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