Jessica Ennis-Hill ready for big test in Beijing — IAAF World Championships

This year in Beijing a number of athletes will be hoping to play their part in raising that figure.

Watching the 2008 Olympic heptathlon unfold without her as she sat at home with a protective boot wrapped around her injured ankle, Jessica Ennis-Hill made a vow not to be forgotten.

She will compete for gold against British teammate Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the first time the pair meet as multi-event equals. ‘But I never imagined I’d go on to win what I did’.

But it was at the last World Championships in Moscow two years ago that the mindset began shifting. Johnson-Thompson, assuming she is over her knee and quad injuries, will be looking to win gold, buoyed by her European indoor pentathlon success back in March.

Even then she did not know how her season would pan out. It has, she said, left her at about 95 per cent of her ability.

“I thought the IAAF were the people with the blood passport”.

“I’m going in not knowing I’m definitely capable of achieving this, this and this… which is what I went into Prague thinking”.

“I remember thinking how far behind I was and how advanced these girls were and how I was never going to progress that much in four years”, she said. She came 15th in the final but, for her, it was all about learning and developing. “It’s just that competition practice I am missing”. I was really happy to come away from doing three events that close together in that stay. We’re both very focused determined athletes.

The Sheffield athlete missed out in 2008 due to a stress fracture in her right foot, only to bounce back in style by storming to the world title the following year.

“I’m here halfway round the world, away from my son for over two weeks and I want to make it worthwhile and perform well”.

A British one-two is not unthinkable in China, although Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton will be a formidable opponent for the gold.

“I feel I’ve been training non-stop to get to this place so finally I am in some sort of shape and feel ready to compete”, added Johnson-Thompson, who predicted around 6,700 points would be needed to get a medal, 6,800 for the gold.

She should be there, the question is: on which step?

“It should be a really good battle with Jess”, she said. It’s just whether I’m able to actually get them after the injuries I’ve had.

This time around Ennis-Hill’s comeback is a rather different prospect. Ennis-Hill, who returned to competition in May after taking time off to have a baby, said she gets nervous before the start of competition.

Jamaica and the US remain the top dogs, so realistically the best Britain with the likes of Chijindu Ujah and Richard Kilty can hope for is bronze. A medal of any colour may be tough.

A year ago, she won Commonwealth silver after a night on a drip in hospital.

The Anguillan-born Proctor has shone before championships in the past only to falter, but her consistency looks better ahead of Beijing than ever before.