'Tadpole' all set to play leapfrog

In the days before last year's Commonwealth Games, British rival Kelly Sotherton let it be known that she had her own affectionate nickname for 5ft 5in Ennis - "Tadpole".

Ennis made it clear she did not care for the tag and now it is Sotherton who is swimming in her wake.

The City of Sheffield athlete arrives in Osaka ranked British number one and third in the world - but she is doing her best to play down medal expectations.

"I've got a bit of pressure on me but the rest of the girls are competing at a very high level," she said.

"It's going to take 6,600 points to win a medal and that means putting another 200 points on my PB and that's a lot to ask for.

"I'm third in the world rankings but I wouldn't read too much into that - the standard of the other girls is very high and they've got much more major championships experience that me."

Pressure is something Ennis will need to get used to.

The 21-year old is expected to be a poster girl of the 2012 Olympics and will soon find her slender shoulders slumped under the weight of national expectation.

British team officials, who arrive in Osaka with the low expectations of success, are keen to protect their star asset but Ennis insists it is all good preparation.

"The Commonwealth Games was nice because I didn't have any real pressure on my build- up. I just relaxed, enjoyed it and won a medal," she said.

"I've had a brilliant season this year and everything is going to plan but I realise that there is plenty of expectation back home.

"But that will be nothing compared to London and 2012 - that will be huge. I'm just hoping by then that I will have learned from experiences like this and I'll be hitting my peak."

Ennis is training hard with the support from the UK Athletics performance team at the Preparation Camp in Macau ahead of the Champion-ships in Osaka, Japan