Jessica Ennis-Hill

Olympic champion and three-times world champion heptathlete, Jessica Ennis-Hill is one of Great Britain’s most successful athletes.

Born on 28th January, 1986 Ennis-Hillis the eldest child of Vinnie and Alison. Ennis-Hill has a younger sister, Carmel and was raised in Sheffield, a city famed for steel and sport in the heart of South Yorkshire, England. Ennis-Hill’s early school experiences gave her a taste of sporting competition and opportunities that would start her on the path to athletics. It’s also where she met her future husband, Andy Hill.

It was outside school that Ennis-Hill’s sporting journey really began. In school holidays, Ennis-Hill and her sister would attend local athletics camps. At the age of 13 at one of those camps, she was introduced to Toni Minichiello, who would go on to coach her throughout her athletics career. Shortly after her first coaching session with Toni, Ennis-Hill joined the City of Sheffield Athletics Club, who she represented until her retirement in 2016.

Ennis-Hill progressed through junior and youth competitions with great success and it was clear that she was a talent for the future. She took part in the World Youth Games, World Junior Championships, Commonwealth Youth Games and European Athletics Junior Championships, winning medals on an international stage before she’d turned 18.

Ennis-Hill’s athletics wasn’t her only focus at this time. After leaving school, she was accepted into The University of Sheffield to study Psychology, but her studies would have to balance with her blossoming athletics career. After winning a bronze medal in the 2005 Commonwealths Games, she graduated from University and started her professional career in full-time athletics.

All sports have highs and lows. In the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Ennis-Hill suffered a career-threatening injury - broken bones in her right foot means she had to pull out of the competition. Determined to return strong from such a disappointing setback, Ennis-Hill spent the next 12 months working harder than ever… and that work soon paid off.

In 2009 she won her heptathlon gold medal at the World Championships. It would prove to be the start of a sustained period of success that would see Ennis-Hill pick up two more World titles and the European crown. Of course, the gold medal that would cement her place in sporting history came at the 2012 Olympics in London, a momentous occasion to remember.

Most people know the story of Super Saturday. With a packed Olympic stadium behind her and the whole country willing her on, Ennis-Hill achieved her life-long dream of becoming Olympic heptathlon champion. In front of her home crowd, her family and friends, she took the gold medal with a new personal best score of 6955 points. It was her crowning moment.

Becoming Olympic champion kick-started a new chapter in Ennis-Hill’s career, which included more media attention and off-track commitments. Accolades continued to come and Ennis-Hill was awarded an MBE for her services to sport. She also enjoyed another life-changing moment in 2013 when she and Andy got married. And then in 2014, she gave birth to a baby boy, Reggie.

With the 2015 world championships fast approaching and the Rio Olympics the following year, Ennis-Hill and her coach, Toni had a decision to make. Could she get back to full fitness and compete for more titles? The answer was yes. Applying the same dedication and determination she’d shown throughout her career, Ennis-Hill set about her return to athletics.

Just 15 months after giving birth, Ennis-Hill won the heptathlon world title in Beijing – her third world championship gold medal in a row. Then at the Rio Olympics in 2016 – having led the competition after the first day – Ennis-Hill claimed a silver medal. It was a huge achievement and the perfect way for Ennis-Hill to call time on her glittering career.

More than 10 years after her first senior appearance, Ennis-Hill closed the curtain on her career in athletics. She was offered a Damehood shortly after her retirement in 2016 and moved on to a brand new chapter in her life, which included the arrival of her daughter, Olivia.

Ennis-Hill currently lives in her home city of Sheffield, where she continues her work as a role model, campaigning for charities that are close to her heart and inspiring others to live a fit and healthy lifestyle. She has recently written a series of books for children, ‘Evie's Magic Bracelet’ with co-author Elen Coldecott.

As Ennis-Hill went from Olympic Athlete to mother to be, she was surprised by the lack of current and relatable advice on training and health for women in her position. So instead Ennis-Hill begun sourcing her own expert advice, and sharing it with her close circles. As more and more people asked for it, Jennis - her fitness app - was born.

Ennis-Hill and her team at Jennis have big plans for the future of the brand, and the importance it will play for all women through smart fitness and body literacy, watch this space.