Jess Ennis’ seven steps to heptathlon gold

Jess Ennis’s Olympic challenge got off to the perfect start on Friday with a new heptathlete world best of 12.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles.

“I was just blown away by the hurdles to be honest. I knew I was in great shape but never thought I’d run that quick,” she told Channel 4 News.

In the second event, the high jump, Ennis cleared 1.86m but admits she would liked to have gone higher: “It’s not been brilliant this year and I was unsure which way it would go … it was a good solid performance but I’d have loved one more height.”

The 26-year old from Sheffield produced 14.28m in the shot put which she said had been going well in training.

In the final event of day one, the 200m, Ennis broke her personal best describing it as “a brilliant end to the first day”.

‘I had to believe’

On to day two and Ennis was aware the long jump “might not go to plan so I just had to believe in myself”.

The javelin is traditionally her weakest event but after disappointment in last year’s world championship Ennis was determined not to slip up again: “I worked so hard on that event and made sure we put it right.”

Taking a 188-point lead into the final Ennis knew she would have to have a disastrous race not to take the gold but still left nothing to chance: “I still thought my shoe could fall off or something could go wrong.

“I had to stay focused but I was very nervous going into that event.”