Jessica Ennis-Hill fully focused on Rio after returning to training
By Geraint Hughes
Last Updated: 21/05/16 11:48am
Jessica Ennis-Hill has told SSN HQ that she is back in full training following an Achilles injury that forced her to rest during the winter season.
The Olympic and world heptathlon champion says she is no longer injured and her sole focus is on becoming the first British woman to defend an Olympic title at the Rio 2016 Games in August.
"I've had the Achilles injury and I'll have niggles now and then, but I'm an older athlete now and that's the reality of it," said Ennis-Hill.
"Right now, I'm not injured. I'm back in full training and over the next few weeks we will ramp it up."
The 30-year-old withdrew from the traditional end of May Gotzis outdoor meeting earlier this month, but dismissed reports she could be forced to miss this summer's Games.
"Yes, I'm a bit behind schedule and I'm disappointed to be missing Gotzis, but if I want to be at my best in August for the Olympics, I have to miss it and keep preparing. It's about getting it right for two days in August. My focus is Rio and nothing else."
Ennis-Hill believes she is stronger, faster and in better shape than last summer when she won her second world title in Beijing just three months after returning to training following the birth of her first child, Reggie, in 2014.
Her coach Toni Minichiello agrees: "She's lifting more weights, she's stronger, she has more power. She is also a more experienced athlete."
So what are Ennis-Hill's chances of winning a second Olympic title at Rio? The athlete herself is as determined as ever. "Rio is my only focus this year, why else would I be going there if it wasn't to try and win gold? I can't look beyond it."
Minichiello added: "Four years ago, Jess was way ahead of her opponents; now the gap has closed. All the competitors are better, and athletes like Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Canada's Brianne Theisen-Eaton are serious contenders and they are at their peak.
"Jess is 30 now and whereas 10 years ago she was made of rubber and recovered easily, now the reality is she has to manage more.
"The points score between the medallists will be closer than ever. 6800 points is likely to be needed to win, if you got 6800, you would be unlucky not to get gold, but the gap between that and the other places is going to be small. It will come down to a small slip up in one event that puts you out of contention. Jess' strength is her consistency over all events - that is a skill in itself just to be steady."
The pair also rubbished reports she would not compete at Rio because of the threat posed by the Zika virus.
Asked whether she had ever considered not going to Rio, Ennis-Hill said: "No, never have I or Toni thought like that. I get updates on the situation all the time and we take all the advice on offer.
Minichiello added: "Never have we thought we are not going. Let me put it like this, the Olympics is the absolute top of our sport, it's how we are judged. You are always an Olympic champion, you do become a 'former' world champion at some point, but the Olympics is the top of the sport. We will take all advice on offer and all precautions. A lot of the stories (about Zika) are scare stories; some of course are true. We will deal in facts."
Ennis-Hill drops retirement hint
Jessica Ennis-Hill may wave goodbye to athletics after the Olympics
Ennis-Hill also revealed she could now compete in London in next year's World Athletics Championships after previously hinting she may retire after competing in Brazil.
"I have thought about it a few times now," added Ennis-Hill.
"A lot depends on how I feel after Rio, my body and whether I'll be motivated, but I definitely wouldn't be considering it if the World Championships weren't in London."
