Jessica Ennis-Hill believes her speed is returning after finishing third in the 100m hurdles final at the British Athletics Championships on Saturday but says she won’t make her decision over whether to compete in the world championships until the last minute.
Ennis-Hill looked noticeably sharper and more explosive than she had when she last competed, in Gotzis five weeks ago, as she finished behind Tiffany Porter and Cindy Ofili in 13.10sec. While that time was more than half a second down on her personal best of 12.54, it was probably better than the clock suggested given it was into a -1.5m/s headwind.
The Olympic heptathlon champion was all smiles as she admitted she was feeling faster and stronger. “I’m definitely getting my speed back and I’m a bit stronger towards the end of the race. The training I have done since Gotzis has definitely made a difference. That cadence is there too, it’s a bit better between the hurdles.”
But Ennis-Hill wants to wait until after competing at the Anniversary Games in three weeks’ time before confirming her place on the plane to Beijing.
“I think it’s going to be quite last minute, probably after the Anniversary Games, as I want to see what my 100m hurdles are,” she said.
“I need to do two or three events there to see if I’m really ready and then I can make a decision and move on for the rest of the season or call it a day. I want to run under 13 seconds and my 200m needs to be low 23s really. If I’m in that kind of shape hopefully I can contend for a medal.”
“But I’m really happy because since Gotzis I’ve done some really good stuff,” she added. “I’m in a better place. I’m getting there and I’m happy.”
The crowd in Birmingham were denied the possibility of a showdown between Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson when the latter pulled out of the 100m hurdles final due to cramp.
Johnson-Thompson, who ran a modest 13.74sec in her heat, said her run “was just about keeping things ticking over”. She still hopes to compete in the long jump on Sunday afternoon.
