Minichiello has coached Ennis-Hill since she was 13, helping her become world champion in 2009, Olympic champion in London three years later, and then take gold at the 2015 World Championships just 14 months after she gave birth to her son Reggie.
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“I think it’s a mix of thinking back to the last few years”, she said.
“But I just thought, I’m going to run hard like I always do”.
“I still can’t believe it, I didn’t come for a medal”.
“I’m finding my finishing power in the last 100m”.
Rimmer is chasing a final place and said: “I’ve never got to a global final and I think if I finish my career without that happening it would be a waste of talent”. It’s like, ‘Have you still got stuff in the basement?’ If I do decide to stop, it will be sad to see that go on without me.
Now, though, there was only delight at a silver medal – and an acceptance that a narrow defeat by an athlete nine years her junior might just represent a changing of the guard.
But the quietly spoken 21-year-old, who was born to a Belgian mother and Senegalese father, and studies geography at the University of Liege, had other ideas.
She said she was “honestly not disappointed” to have lost her title.
We might have to wait up rather late to see it, but heptathlete hopeful Jessica Ennis-Hill will continue the defence of her title and hope to bring home the gold once again.
Ennis-Hill will head into the second day of competition on 4,057 points, 101 down on the same stage at London 2012.
Great Britain have won gold in the women’s team pursuit at the Rio Olympics, adding to the gold and silver earlier in the rowing.
“I’m disappointed with my performance, I should have done better”, said the Liverpool athlete.
The action resumes in the evening session with the shot and 200m.
“It’s very emotional”, Ennis-Hill said.
Throughout the two-day competition, Eaton supported his wife by wearing a red “Canada” hat. To put her performance into perspective, it was more than 100 points in excess of her winning total in last year’s World Championships.
As for Ennis-Hill it could be the end of the road for her career.
Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson was a disappointing sixth with 6,523 points.
Neither Ennis-Hill or Johnson-Thompson is comfortable in the shot put, although the defending champion’s effort of 13.86m was reasonable and saw her keep second place.
“It’s insane. I wasn’t expecting that – maybe top eight, but not the gold”, said the youngster. ‘So many athletes don’t know when it’s the time to retire, ‘ she said.
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She did not use the word retirement on Sunday morning when speaking after just three hours’ sleep, but it seemed her mind was made up as she reflected on her achievements in the past tense and talked of passing the baton to a talented new generation.
