This is a story of a star, who aimed for the stars, became a star and quit as a star. Jessica Ennis-Hill, the golden girl who captured the imagination of the nation has decided to call it a day, much to the chagrin of her followers.
The women who inspired a new generation of athletes received a torrent of tributes fro fellow Olympians as she said farewell to the sport she loves, aged just 30. Jessica started her sporting journey at the tender age of 13 Ennis-Hill took to the sport immediately and joined the City of Sheffield and Dearne Athletic Club, aged 11. At the age of 14, she won her first award for the best performance by an athlete at the National Schools Championships, where she won the high jump competition.
The London 2012 Olympics which made her a national heroine where she won gold with a British and Commonwealth record score of 6,955 points. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she won a silver. She married Andy Hill in Derbyshire in May 2013 and in January 2014, Ennis-Hill said she was unable to compete in the 2014 Commonwealth Games as she was pregnant with her first child. She gave birth to her son Reggie in July 2014.
Announcing her retirement via Instagram she posted “Amazing memories… from my first world title in Berlin 2009 to Rio 2016.” The two-time world champion had originally to stay in sports until the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championships in London next year, but said she had already had "the pinnacle" of her career, and that nothing would “ever top that”. “I felt that I had achieved all I wanted to achieve and more in the sport, and this was the time to move onto something new and leave on a high,” she said.
Over her athletic career spanning 13 years she has got gold, silver and bronze 14 times at various Pentathlon, Heptathlon, 100 m hurdles and High jump competitions.
What's Next?
Her immediate goal is to "sit back and relax and reflect on what I've achieved" and "spend as much time with my son as possible", Ennis-Hill says she wants to stay involved in athletics. I could never walk away from athletics and sport because I love it so much and it's been a huge part of my life," she said.
"I need to think about what I really want to do, something that I enjoy and that I'm passionate about moving forward. I think I'll definitely stay involved in sport in some way. I'm passionate about getting people active, getting people running and living a healthy lifestyle.”
Already conferred a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) as part of the 2013 New Year Honours for services to athletics, there are now calls for her to be made a Dame.
