Olympic great Jessica Ennis-Hill calls time on career with 'no regrets'

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Press Association13 October 2016

Jessica Ennis-Hill's place in the pantheon of all-time great British Olympians is assured after the London 2012 gold medallist and two-time world champion announced her retirement from athletics.

Tributes poured in from across the sporting world for Ennis-Hill, who admitted the decision to call time on her glittering heptathlon career was "one of the toughest decisions" she has had to make.

A poster girl for the London Games, Ennis-Hill powered to gold on what became known as Super Saturday, and later battled back from time out through injury and the birth of her first child to reach the top of the world once more.

The 30-year-old wrote on Instagram: "Amazing memories...from my first world title in Berlin 2009 to Rio 2016 I'm so fortunate to have had such an amazing career within the sport I love and this has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make.

"But I know that retiring now is right. I've always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets and I can truly say that.

"I want to thank my family and incredible team who have spent so much of their time supporting me and enabling me to achieve my dreams. Also a huge thank you to all those people who have supported and followed my career over the years x."

Although Ennis-Hill narrowly failed to defend her Olympic title in Rio this summer, it is testament to her achievements that she will be go down in history alongside other multiple gold medal-winning athletes such as Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Chris Hoy.

Hoy tweeted on Thursday: "Many congratulations J-Ennis on all you've achieved, welcome to the pipe and slippers club!"

Toni Minichiello, who has coached Ennis-Hill throughout her career, said she had made her decision at the right time.

Minichiello said: "Many sports people hold on too long. Jess has managed to avoid walking out of the stadium after failing a qualifying round. She's walking out of the stadium by stepping off the podium. She's one of our sporting greats. It seems fitting this way.

"We've known for a long time this day was coming."

Ennis-Hill contributed to one of the greatest days in British sporting history when she won gold in London, finishing 306 points ahead of Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopf with a total of 6,955 points on the same night Mo Farah won the 10,000 metres and Greg Rutherford took the long jump crown inside the Olympic Stadium.

But having taken time out between Games to give birth to her son Reggie, she could not repeat the feat in Rio, where she finished runner-up to Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam by just 35 points.

She did not immediately hint at the retirement after her near-miss in Brazil, but there was clearly a feeling within the senior circles of British Athletics that one of the domestic sport's finest ambassadors would not be seen again in major international competition.

British Athletics performance director Neil Black said: "I know it will have been incredibly difficult for Jess, but I am pleased for her that she has been able to make the decision and can now look forward to a much deserved retirement.

"The entire performance team of coaches, athletes and support staff will miss her at events. Not only has she competed at the highest level, but she has been a warm and positive presence within the GB team and a great example to the younger team members."

Jessica Ennis-Hill - In pictures

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Ennis-Hill's senior breakthrough came in 2006 when she won bronze at her only Commonwealth Games - finishing behind winner and team-mate Kelly Sotherton - and three years later she was crowned world champion for the first time.

In 2010 Ennis-Hill did the double of European Championship and World Indoor Pentathlon titles, before taking a silver at the 2011 worlds in Daegu behind Russia's Tatyana Chernova.

Roles were to be reversed one year later at the Olympic Stadium in London, when Ennis-Hill rose to the occasion to win the title ahead of Schwarzkopf with world champion Chernova trailing behind in third.

Ennis-Hill sat out the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but recommitted to her sport, inspiring a new generation of British heptathlon stars including former world junior champions Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Morgan Lake.

Johnson-Thompson tweeted on Thursday: "A sad day for athletics! A real inspiration to me and so many others. Well done on a incredible career J-Ennis".

And Lake, who just missed out on qualifying for Rio but competed instead in the high jump event, posted: "Sad day for athletics/heptathlon but thank you for being such an inspiration, and congratulations for an amazing career."

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