Jessica Ennis-Hill hopes she has inspired more youngsters to take up sport
Monday 17 October 2016 17:05, UK
British athletics great Jessica Ennis-Hill says she remains sure that she has done the right thing in deciding to retire from competitive sport, although she will miss the excitement it provides.
And the 30-year-old says she is hopeful her remarkable exploits will have led to many more youngsters trying their hands at sport.
Ennis-Hill won heptathlon gold at the 2009 world championships and followed up with a memorable victory at London 2012, before returning from giving birth to a son with another world title success in 2015.
She then finished her career in fine style, claiming a gallant silver when she defended her Olympic heptathlon title in Rio.
Ennis-Hill spoke to Sky Sports News HQ ahead of the Team GB homecoming parade in Manchester on Monday and, asked how she was enjoying retirement, she said: "It feels really strange actually.
"It is a really nice feeling though, I have had so many years, great years within the sport, and it's a nice time to look back and reflect.
"I know it's the right time to move on to the next stage of my life now. To finally make it public, it was just a nice relief. I had a really good time to think about it and deep down I knew what I wanted to do and to listen to how I truly felt.It has been incredible, the messages and the support that I have had."
Asked what she considered the highlights of her career, she added: "I think, in a sporting context, for me, London 2012.
"Nothing will ever top that incredible feeling of having a home Olympics, winning, and being on the top of the podium with that amazing crowd that was there, with all my family and friends.
"But I feel like I am in such an amazing position, because there are so many single occasions throughout those years.
"Winning the world championships in Berlin, my first world title, which was so special and threw me into a new world and gave me that winning momentum, which I was able to use moving on.
"And then obviously coming back in Beijing [2015 worlds] after having Reggie. There have been so many significant points in my career and I have had an incredible team and incredible support for so many years, and I feel really grateful for what I have achieved with them."
And Ennis-Hill acknowledged that there is a lot she will miss from her days as an elite athlete.
"I definitely miss the competition," she said. "I think, as an athlete, you love that adrenaline rush of having done all the training and then stepping on the track and performing.
"I will never really have that feeling again, so that will be really sad, and I will miss elements of the training, I want to keep fit and active. The training group started hill runs the other week and I went down and did hills with them anyway, even though I knew I was retiring!
"I will miss the banter of the group and having that really special team I had around me. My physio, coach, and everyone I have worked with so closely for all those years."
As for the legacy, she will leave, Ennis-Hill's wishes are fairly straightforward.
"I went down to a track, tried a sport that I enjoyed and loved, and I stuck with it, and went on to achieve some really special things," she said.
"So I hope young people can see that and not look at me as someone different or unique, just a normal girl that enjoys running and training and went on to win Olympic gold. I'd hope I have encouraged more people to get involved in sport in some way."
