High praise for Jessica from coach

THE man behind the rise of 21-year-old Sheffield AC multi-events star Jessica Ennis has played a glowing tribute to his charge, following her outstanding 2007 heptathlon campaign.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Sep 2007, 08:27 BST
Updated 2nd Oct 2007, 08:38 BST

Her season saw the Commonwealth heptathlon bronze-medallist capture European Cup glory, European Under-23 100m hurdles bronze and a superb World Championship heptathlon fourth-place.

Coach Toni Minichello said: "Looking back, if someone had said to me that Jessica would finish sixth in the European Indoor Championships for pentathlon, win the IAAF Grand Prix Meeting in Desenzano and the European Cup (leading the team to win Super League for the first time), as well as equal a British record in the high jump, set a British Under 23 Heptathlon record (three times) and set personal bests in every heptathlon discipline, and finish fourth in the World Championships, I would have been crazy not to be happy."

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Minichello said there was more to come from Ennis, from Nether Edge.

"As Jessica missed out on a World medal with a poor shot performance and not hitting the board on the long jump, she knows that, and will work on it as she prepares for the Olympics.

"As a coach, it is my job to look for areas of improvement. If I am happy, then I suppose my job is complete."

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Related topics:Super League