Ankle injury forces Ennis out

Jessica Ennis
12 April 2012

World and European champion Jessica Ennis has withdrawn from the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for this week's European Indoor Championships in Paris.

Ennis has called time on her indoor season due to an inflammation of the left ankle which also caused her to pull out of the second day of the trials in Sheffield and Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham.

An MRI scan, her third since the injury occurred in mid-February, has shown improvement over the past two weeks but not enough to risk participating in Friday's pentathlon.

Ennis said: "I have thought long and hard about whether to compete at the European Indoor Championships in Paris this coming Friday, and if I am really honest I just don't want to risk any further damage to my ankle and calf.

"As it is, the inflammation and fluid build-up is reducing and I could potentially get through the pentathlon with medication, but there is no guarantee that it will not worsen as a result and then mess up the start of my outdoor season.

"I cannot take this risk. The World Championships have to be my priority. I would like to wish the rest of the team a really successful championships."

The news is a blow to Britain's medal hopes in Paris, with a fully-fit Ennis an odds-on favourite to add the European indoor crown to the world title she won in Doha in March last year.

But it also does not come as a surprise with the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea later this year her priority, not to mention the London Olympics looming ever closer.

Ennis missed the last Olympics in Beijing with a triple stress fracture in her right foot and the 25-year-old will not take any chances with her fitness as she seeks to add Olympic gold to her ever-increasing medal collection.

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