OLYMPIC golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill dealt with many a challenge in her career, but one of the toughest was her coach’s chilling reaction when she told him she was pregnant.
It was two years after she had won the heptathlon at the London 2012 Games when she broke the news to Toni Minichiello.
Instead of congratulating her, he instantly began scrolling through competition dates on his laptop to work out the bombshell implications.
Jessica, who was made a dame in 2017 on the back of her Team GB Olympic glory, says of her pregnancy by childhood sweetheart Andy: “It was a bit of a surprise, it all happened sooner than we expected.
“It was definitely a shock to all of my team.
“My coach had this plan, ‘You’re going to do the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and then Worlds, then Olympics’.
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“I remember going to his house and being like, ‘I’ve got something to tell you — sit down’.
“I was so nervous.
“I said, ‘So I’m pregnant . . .’
“He was just so shocked.
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“He didn’t know what to say — he just kind of sat there
“And then he got his laptop out and started looking at dates.
“He didn’t even say, ‘congratulations’, he was in such a fluster.
“He said, ‘When’s he or she going to be born?’
“I was sat there like, ‘Congratulations, you know, anything like that would be nice’.
“Eventually he said, ‘Congratulations’.”
Defining moment
Minichiello was later banned from UK Athletics due to allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which he denied.
Following the 2022 ruling, Jessica said she was never on the receiving end of any such misbehaviour.
But she will never forget his cold response to being told back in 2014 that she was to become a mum at age 28.
She adds: “It was quite a challenging time because everyone at that stage thought you don’t start your family during your career.
“You do all your career stuff then start your family.
“I think that’s since changed. I think a lot of women feel they have the support and policies in place to come back.”
Jessica was forced to withdraw from the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a result.
She was then determined to get back to her best, but acknowledged her body had changed, so her coach encouraged her not to compare how she was before — and just focus on the comeback.
She says: “There’s a mental impact when you’re at the back of the group in training — and you’re the Olympic champion.
“I would compare myself to me at my best.
“When I looked at those times, I was nowhere near.
“Eventually I did get stronger and those times came back, but I was never the same version I was before — but that was OK because of being a mum.”
Her Olympic heroics at age 26 in front of an expectant home nation had capped an already stellar rise in the heptathlon — comprising the 200 and 800 metres, 100-metre hurdles, high and long jumps, shot put and javelin throw.
She says: “My coach would say, ‘These are your post- pregnancy PBs’ [personal bests].”
Jessica returned to training just ten weeks after baby Reggie arrived in her life, and initially struggled to rebuild her fitness.
‘Challenging time’
She adds: “It was quite a tricky, challenging time because everyone at that stage thought you don’t start your family during your career, you kind of do all your career stuff and then start your family.
“I think that’s since changed. I think a lot of women feel they have the support and policies in place to come back.”
But she was forced to withdraw from the 2014 Commonwealth Games — and after she had son Reggie, who is now ten, Minichiello would compare her performances as “before” and “post” pregnancy.
She says: “My coach would say ‘These are your post-pregnancy PBs [personal bests].”
Jessica returned to training just ten weeks after Reggie arrived, and struggled to rebuild her fitness.
She says: “There’s mental impact when you’re at the back of the group when you’re training — and you’re Olympic champion.
“I would compare myself to me at my best. When I looked at those times, I was nowhere near.
“Eventually I did get stronger and those times came back, but I was never the same version I was before — but that was OK because of being a mum.”
There’s mental impact when you’re at the back of the group when you’re training — and you’re Olympic champion
Jessica Ennis-Hill
It was more than OK, in fact, as just 13 weeks into motherhood she stormed back to win the 2015 World Championships in Beijing — then Olympic silver a year later in Rio de Janeiro.
Jessica, who would retire the following year, now admits it was crazy trying to achieve again what she had done before her pregnancy.
She says: “I thought, ‘What am I doing? What am I training for? This is hard’.
“Your body changes so much.
“It’s the hormones that go through your body for months after, the relaxing, that makes all your ligaments relax.
“So my Achilles were loose and that’s not great when you’re trying to be this coil that needs to jump as high and far as you can.
“I couldn’t train like I did before 2012.”
But she made it her mission to return to the top of her sport — and soon revelled in the challenge.
She says: “That journey was the hardest and the best — that feeling of beating the rest of the world, and those who doubted me, was the best.
Greatest achievers
“Your body is never going to be the same after having a child, whether it’s coming back to exercising or doing the Olympics.”
While Jessica didn’t get a second Olympic gold, she wouldn’t change a thing.
She says: “I was incredibly proud of what my body was able to achieve post-natally.
“And having my son was the best thing ever.
“But I might just get my silver one sprayed gold!”
Jessica and Andy went on to have their second child Olivia in 2017 and she is now retired.
When she married construction site manager Andy 12 years ago, she was already a national treasure.
Her Olympic heroics at age 26 in front of an expectant home nation had capped an already stellar rise in the heptathlon — comprising the 200 and 800 metres, 100-metre hurdles, high and long jumps, shot put and javelin.
In 2009, the Sheffield-born star won gold at the World Championships in Berlin and, in 2010, gold in the World Indoor Championships in Qatari capital Doha, plus the European Championships in Barcelona.
In 2011, she claimed silver at the World Championships in South Korea and, five years later, that was upgraded to gold after Russian star Tatyana Chernova was found to have been doping.
After silver at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, there then followed her defining moment atop the podium in London.
Today, Jessica says she still gets competitive when she laces up her running shoes.
Now aged 39, she adds: “I have done parkruns a few times — my husband was doing it quite a bit at one stage.
“I still don’t want to get beaten, especially by someone with a buggy!”
After retiring and being ennobled in the 2017 New Year Honours, Jessica won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award that year.
She has also launched her own post-natal exercise advice app, become a patron of Sheffield Children’s Hospital and is a TV sports pundit.
Oh, and she is launching her own podcast, Gold Minds, where she will chat to some of the world’s greatest achievers about how they overcame real-life challenges
Your body is never going to be the same after having a child, whether it’s coming back to exercising or doing the Olympics
Jessica Ennis-Hill
It means she can finally use the psychology degree from Sheffield University that she gained after leaving school.
She says of her podcast: “I get to speak to people about their golden moment that’s changed their life.
“They also bring in three items that take us on their journey to reach that moment and the aftermath.
“They’ve all been fascinating.
“It’s delving into the psychology and mindset.”
One of her guests will be British rowing cox Erin Kennedy — a two-time Paralympic champion. Erin, 32, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, but has continued to win medals at the highest level, including gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
One of her guests will be British rowing cox Erin Kennedy — a two-time Paralympic champion.
Erin, 32, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago but has continued to win medals at the highest level, including gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics,.
Jessica says of their chat: “Erin was incredible.
“I was sat with my mouth wide open, blown away by what she has been through.
“She brought in a wig because that was a huge part of her journey to getting back to winning gold in Paris.”
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She adds of podcast work: “As an athlete, you’re wanting to push your-self — and this was something out of my comfort zone I wanted to try.”
- Jessica’s Gold Minds podcast chats with former Olympic boxer Nicola Adams and former Ireland rugby captain Johnny Sexton are on all major platforms. New episodes land on Wednesdays, the next features sports presenter Gabby Logan
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
