Ennis-Hill, who is still the reigning world champion, looked relaxed and glowing and it was easy to see why she has become such a popular figure with the British public.
Advertisement
“I think it’s a mix of thinking back to the last few years. So I want to put all the pieces together, go and rest up and come back tomorrow stronger”.
“I have every faith that she can score more and be on the podium”. More than anything because it could be the last time.
“There’s definitely some younger, new athletes coming through and performing well”.
“I was like “oh god that’s so much”, she said. It’s like, have you still got stuff in the basement?’
Still, it’s an Olympic silver medal, she said, and she had to enjoy it.
Ennis-Hill had to settle for a best throw in the shot of 13.86m and admitted she was “devastated” with the effort after throwing around 14.50m in training. But having struggled with injury problems in the lead-up, gold was beyond her grasp, though she made it into the medals with her best performance of the year so far.
Ennis-Hill, who now heads off on holiday with her husband Andy and Reggie, has always maintained since her return following her son’s birth that her priority was being a mother. “She’s had two great days and she wasn’t going to give that up”.
“I have no doubt they would continue to help me for another year, but it’s such a tough event”.
Thiam, a fantastic jumper, will be the first to admit that she does not excel in the running events but the enticement of Olympic gold allowed her to dig deep and find extra reserves of energy. But reflecting on Sunday, she said was proud and happy to have won the silver medal and now it was time for a break, for celebrations, and to think about the future.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the athlete said: “Yeah, I’m really emotional”.
That wraps up the main medal hopes on day seven but the men’s 100m does start on the athletics track and the women’s 100m concludes while Nathan Bailey will have high hopes in gymnastics’ men’s trampoline event following teammate Bryony Page’s silver success on Friday.
What could have been a British duel between Ennis-Hill and Johnson-Thompson did not materialise.
Adam Gemili, sprinter and captain of Great Britain’s athletics team in Rio, tweeted: “What a roller coaster two days that was”.
The complicating factor in her decision is the fact that next year’s world championships are in London.
Ennis-Hill is from Sheffield and still trains in the city.
“She clearly won’t do another Olympic Games in 2020”.
Ennis-Hill’s victory four summers ago was born of pure domination – she won by almost 300 points.
The Britons were hit by a wall of noise on their first morning of London 2012, a teenage Johnson-Thompson saying “wow” at the roar which greeted her introduction.
Advertisement
The Belgian did just that, finishing at 7.47sec to amass a total of 6,810 points, 35pts ahead of Ennis-Hill, with Canada’s Brianne Thiesen-Eaton claiming bronze (6,653).
