Jessica Ennis-Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
DBE

Ennis-Hill at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards in 2024
Personal information
Birth name	Jessica Ennis
Born	(1986-01-28) 28 January 1986 (age 39) Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Alma mater	University of Sheffield
Height	1.65 m
Weight	57 kg
Spouse(s)	Andy Hill ​ (m. 2013)​
Sport
Country	Great Britain England
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Heptathlon, Pentathlon, 100 m hurdles
Club	City of Sheffield Athletic Club
Turned pro	2005
Coached by	Antonio 'Tony' Minichiello
Retired	2016
Achievements and titles
World finals	2007, 4th 2009, 1 Gold 2011, 1 Gold 2015, 1 Gold
Olympic finals	2012, 1 Gold 2016, 2 Silver
Highest world ranking	Heptathlon: 1 (2009, 2010, 2012)
Personal best(s)	Heptathlon: 6955 points Pentathlon: 4965 points
Medal record Women's athletics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 0 World Championships 3 0 0 World Indoor Championships 1 1 0 European Championships 1 0 0 Commonwealth Games 0 0 1 European Cup Combined Events 2 0 0 Universiade 0 0 1 European U23 Championships 0 0 1 European Junior Championships 1 0 0 Commonwealth Youth Games 0 2 0 Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Heptathlon Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Heptathlon World Championships Gold 2009 Berlin Heptathlon Gold 2011 Daegu Heptathlon Gold 2015 Beijing Heptathlon World Indoor Championships Gold 2010 Doha Pentathlon Silver 2012 Istanbul Pentathlon European Championships Gold 2010 Barcelona Heptathlon Universiade Bronze 2005 İzmir Heptathlon European U23 Championships Bronze 2007 Debrecen 100 m hurdles European Jnr Championships Gold 2005 Kaunas Heptathlon Representing  England Commonwealth Games Bronze 2006 Melbourne Heptathlon Commonwealth Youth Games Silver 2004 Bendigo 100 m hurdles Silver 2004 Bendigo High jump

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (born Jessica Ennis on January 28, 1986) is a British athlete who used to compete in the heptathlon and 100 metres hurdles. The heptathlon is a tough event where athletes compete in seven different track and field events. Jessica was the 2012 Olympic champion in the heptathlon. She also won three world titles (in 2009, 2011, and 2015) and the 2010 European title. She was also the 2010 World Indoor pentathlon champion.

Jessica was a member of the City of Sheffield & Dearne athletic club. She held British records in the heptathlon, 100 metres hurdles, high jump, and indoor pentathlon. After she stopped competing in athletics in 2016, Jessica became an athletics commentator for the BBC. She also started her own business, creating fitness apps for women's health and training.

Early Life and Athletic Start

Jessica Ennis-Hill was born in Sheffield, England, on January 28, 1986. She has a younger sister named Carmel. Her father, Vinnie Ennis, was a painter and decorator from Jamaica. Her mother, Alison Powell, was a social worker from England. Both her parents enjoyed athletics.

They first introduced Jessica to athletics at a special event at the Don Valley Stadium in 1996. Jessica won her first prize there: a pair of trainers! This is where she met Toni Minichiello, who would become her coach for her entire career.

Joining a Club and Early Success

Jessica loved the sport right away. She joined the City of Sheffield and Dearne Athletic Club when she was 11 years old. By age 14, she was already winning awards for her athletic performances. She won the high jump competition at the National Schools Championships.

Jessica grew up in Sheffield and went to Sharrow Primary School and King Ecgbert School. She later studied psychology at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 2007. Her coach, Toni Minichiello, guided her from when she was 11. She also got special coaching for the javelin from former bronze medalist Mick Hill.

Junior Competitions and Records

Jessica started competing in athletics at a young age. In 1999, she was second in the high jump and pentathlon at the English Schools AAA Junior Girls. The next year, at 14, she won the AAA Girls high jump title, jumping 1.70 metres.

She became one of Britain's best junior athletes in 2003. She won the indoor pentathlon and the outdoor 100 metres hurdles titles at the AAA U20 Championships. In July 2003, she competed at the World Youth Championships in Canada, finishing fifth.

In 2004, Jessica competed in the World Junior Championships in Italy, finishing eighth. She won two silver medals at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia in the 100 metres hurdles and high jump. In 2005, she won the heptathlon at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships in Lithuania. This was a British junior record score of 5,891 points, and she was the first British athlete to win this title.

Professional Athletics Career

Jessica's first big win as a senior athlete came in February 2004, when she was 18. She won the 60 metres hurdles at the Northern Senior Indoor Championships. She also won three junior titles two weeks earlier.

Her first senior international competition was the 2005 Universiade in Turkey. There, she won a bronze medal in the heptathlon, setting a new personal best score.

2006: First Senior Medal

In 2006, Jessica won a bronze medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. She set a personal best score of 6,269 points. Her high jump of 1.91 metres was good enough to win a gold medal in that individual event. She also set personal bests in the high jump, 200 metres, and javelin.

Later in 2006, Jessica improved her personal best score to 6,287 points at the European Championships in Sweden, finishing eighth.

2007: World Championships Debut

In 2007, Jessica continued to improve. She set new personal bests in the 60 metres hurdles, 60 metres sprint, and long jump. She finished sixth in the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships, improving her personal best score.

In May, she broke the British under-23 heptathlon record. She won a competition in Italy with 6,388 points. She also equalled the British high jump record of 1.95 metres. In July, she won a bronze medal in the 100 metres hurdles at the European U-23 Championships in Hungary.

In August, Jessica finished fourth at the World Championships in Japan. She recorded the fastest times in three running events, including a personal best in the 100 metres hurdles. She finished second overall in the 2007 World Combined Events Challenge.

2008: Injury Setback

In 2008, Jessica set new indoor personal bests in the 60 metres hurdles and long jump. However, she had to withdraw from a heptathlon competition in Austria due to a foot injury. This injury meant she missed the Olympic Games in Beijing and the rest of the 2008 season.

2009: First World Title

After a year off due to injury, Jessica returned to competition in May 2009. She won an event in Italy with a personal best score of 6,587 points. Her foot injury meant she had to change her take-off leg for the long jump.

In August, Jessica won her first gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. She achieved a personal best of 6,731 points, leading the competition from the very first event. Her score was the highest heptathlon score in 2009.

Jessica was named "British Athlete of the Year" and "Sportswoman of the Year" by sports journalists. She also came third in the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. Sheffield City Council honored her with a reception in her hometown.

2010: World Indoor and European Outdoor Titles

In 2010, Jessica started her indoor season with several personal bests. She was named team captain for the Great Britain team that won the Aviva International Match in Glasgow. She surprised everyone by winning the 60 metres hurdles in a British record time of 7.95 seconds.

At the World Indoor Championships in Qatar, Jessica became the World Indoor Champion for the pentathlon. She set a new British, Commonwealth, and Championship Record score of 4,937 points. This made her the first British woman to win world titles both indoors and outdoors.

In May, Jessica won the heptathlon at the 2010 Hypo-Meeting in Austria with 6,689 points. She also set a personal best in the long jump at a meeting in New York. Later, she won the heptathlon gold medal at the 2010 European Championships with a personal best and European Championship Record score of 6,823 points. This was the highest heptathlon score of 2010.

Jessica was again named "British Athlete of the Year" and "Sportswoman of the Year." She also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield for her contributions to sport. She finished the year ranked first in the world for heptathlon and indoor pentathlon.

2011: Second World Title

In 2011, Jessica continued her strong performances. She set an indoor personal best in the shot put. At an international event in Glasgow, she won the 60 metres hurdles.

She won the heptathlon at the Hypo-Meeting in Austria for the second year in a row, extending her unbeaten record in multi-events to two years. At the 2011 World Athletics Championships in South Korea, Jessica originally finished second. However, the winner, Tatyana Chernova, was later disqualified for a doping violation. In 2016, Jessica was officially awarded the gold medal, making her a two-time world champion.

Jessica was honored with an MBE in 2011 for her services to athletics. She was also inducted into the "Sheffield Legends" 'Walk of Fame' and had a wax model of herself displayed at Madame Tussaud's in London.

2012: Olympic Champion

In 2012, Jessica prepared for the London Olympics. She won the high jump and 60 metres hurdles at the UK Indoor Championships. She also set two indoor personal bests at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix.

She finished second at the World Indoor Championships in Turkey, setting a personal best and national record of 4,965 points. This score placed her third on the world's all-time list for the indoor pentathlon.

In May, Jessica broke Denise Lewis's British heptathlon record at the Hypo Meeting in Austria, scoring 6,906 points. This made her only the eighth woman to score over 6,900 points.

Competing at the Yorkshire Track and Field Championships 2012

In August, Jessica won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the London Olympics. She set a British and Commonwealth record score of 6,955 points. On the first day, she scored her highest ever first-day total, including two personal bests in the 100 metres hurdles and 200 metres. Her 100 metres hurdles time was a new British record and the fastest ever in a heptathlon. She also set a personal best in the javelin and won the final event, the 800 metres.

Ennis' Gold Post Box at Barker's Pool, Sheffield

After her Olympic win, Jessica was featured on a special Royal Mail postage stamp. A post box in Sheffield city centre was painted gold in her honor. Sheffield United renamed a stand at their stadium The Jessica Ennis Stand. Local businesses also celebrated her success.

The Jessica Ennis Stand at Bramall Lane

Jessica received the Freedom of the City of Sheffield. She was welcomed back to Sheffield by thousands of people. She was named "European Female Athlete of the Year" and "British Olympic Athlete of the Year." She was also nominated for several other prestigious awards.

Henderson's Relish brought out to commemorate Jessica Ennis's Olympic Games gold medal

Jessica was appointed CBE in 2013 for her services to athletics. She also won the World Sportswoman of the Year at the Laureus World Sport Awards. Her autobiography, Unbelievable – From My Childhood Dreams to Winning Olympic Gold, was published in November 2012.

2013–14: Injury and Pregnancy Break

In 2013, Jessica faced challenges with her training facility and coach's contract. She decided not to compete in the indoor season to focus on the World Championships. She received the Freedom of the City of Sheffield at a ceremony.

An ankle injury prevented her from competing in several events in June and July. She decided not to compete at the Moscow World Championships because she had not fully recovered. Jessica-Hill's pregnancy meant she missed the entire 2014 season. She gave birth to her son, Reggie, in July 2014. She returned to full-time training in October 2014.

2015: Comeback and Third World Title

Jessica-Hill made her comeback in May 2015, finishing third in the 100 metres hurdles. She then competed in her first heptathlon since the London Olympics in Austria, achieving the qualifying standard for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

After competing in London, Jessica-Hill was ready for the Beijing World Athletics Championships. She won the heptathlon with 6,669 points, securing her third world title. This was confirmed after Tatyana Chernova was disqualified for doping.

Jessica-Hill was nominated for several awards, including European Athlete of the Year and IAAF Athlete of the Year. She won the Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year award for a second time.

2016: Olympic Silver and Retirement

An achilles tendon injury kept Jessica-Hill out of the 2016 indoor season. She returned to action in May. She won her first heptathlon of the season in Germany with 6,733 points, the second-best score of the year. She also set a personal best in the long jump.

In August, Jessica-Hill defended her Olympic title at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She won the silver medal, finishing second to Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium. On October 13, 2016, Jessica-Hill announced her retirement from athletics.

Post-Retirement Activities

After her retirement, in November 2016, the Court of Arbitration for Sport officially stripped Tatyana Chernova of her gold medal from the 2011 World Championships due to doping. As a result, Jessica-Hill was promoted to receive the gold medal, giving her a third World title. This achievement put her on par with other multi-event legends like Carolina Klüft and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Jessica-Hill was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2017 for her services to athletics.

Ahead of the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, Jessica-Hill filmed a special program for the BBC. She met some of the rising stars of British athletics. She also worked as a guest analyst for the BBC's coverage of the event. Later that year, she became the second woman and first British woman to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

Books and Business Ventures

In 2016, Jessica signed a book deal for a seven-book series called Eve's Magic Bracelet. She co-wrote the series with children’s author Elen Caldecott. The first book, The Silver Unicorn, was released in March 2017.

In 2019, Jessica-Hill launched Jennis, her own app-based training program. In 2021, she added a new feature called CycleMapping, which helps women plan their training around their menstrual cycle. She also started a partnership with the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2023.

Media and Television Work

Jessica-Hill has become a regular guest analyst for the BBC's athletics coverage. She has provided commentary for the Olympic Games in 2020 and 2024, and the World Athletics Championships in 2019, 2022, and 2023. She also covered the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022.

Personal Life

Jessica Ennis-Hill lives in Sheffield. She married Andy Hill, a construction site manager, in May 2013. She then became known as Jessica Ennis-Hill.

On January 10, 2014, she announced she was pregnant and would miss the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Her son, Reggie, was born in July 2014. On March 16, 2017, she announced her second pregnancy. Her daughter, Olivia, was born on September 23, 2017.

She is a fan of Sheffield United. The club named one of their stadium stands in her honor in 2012. Jessica-Hill is an ambassador for the Jaguar Academy of Sport. She is also a patron of the Sheffield Children's Hospital charity and Barrie Wells' sports foundation. She writes a column for The Times newspaper and has appeared in advertisements for various brands.

In July 2021, Jessica-Hill was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. She spoke about her parents' support for her career. She also shared that her grandfather used to offer her cash rewards for her early successes in track competitions.

Achievements

Jessica Ennis-Hill has achieved many great things in her athletics career. Here are some of her top results in international competitions:

Personal Best Records

Jessica Ennis-Hill achieved some amazing personal bests during her career. Her high jump of 1.95 metres was 30 centimetres (about a foot) higher than her own height! This is a rare feat in athletics. Her 100 metres hurdles time of 12.54 seconds is the fastest ever recorded within a heptathlon competition. It also matched the winning time for the individual 100 metres hurdles event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jessica held the British record for the heptathlon with a score of 6,955 points until 2019. If she had achieved all her personal bests in a single heptathlon, her score would have been an incredible 7,175 points!

Outdoor Personal Bests

Indoor Personal Bests

Images for kids

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  Jessica Ennis with Double World Championship Award

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  Ennis during the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu

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  Wax statue of Ennis-Hill at Madame Tussauds, London

See also

In Spanish: Jessica Ennis-Hill para niños