Ennis won world heptathlon gold in style in Berlin last year

By Tom Fordyce

Carolina Kluft has backed Jessica Ennis to handle the pressure of being home favourite at the London Olympics.

World champion Ennis said this weekend that she will ask Kluft for help on dealing with the expectations of her.

Kluft told BBC Sport: "Jessica has this fighting spirit which all top heptathletes really need.

"When you're at your home track there's extra pressure, but you have to use that and make it work for you. You have to think of it as something great."

Kluft, Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion, won European heptathlon gold in front of her home crowd in Gothenburg in 2006.

She said: "If you start to think it's all about the spotlight being on you, this could start to be a problem, but I think Jessica will feel beneficial things. She can take that crowd with her and use it to help her achieve great things.

"For me in Gothenburg it helped a lot, particularly in the high jump and long jump. It's always fun at your home track - there is so much energy created.

"English crowds know so much about the sport, so the London Olympics will be really special for the home athletes. As a competitor you can really get a push from that."

Kluft beat Ennis into fourth place at the Worlds in Osaka in 2007, but having now switched from multi-events to the long jump, she hopes her successor as world champion continues to win medals.

"I've always liked Jess - she's always been such a good athlete and such a nice person - and she has all the ingredients she needs.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what success she has. For her to have the Olympics at home will be a great feeling. I'm really hoping she stays healthy and does well."

Ennis, who finished second behind the USA's Hyleas Fountain in a three-event challenge at the New York Diamond League meeting last weekend, is currently the only British athlete ranked world number one in her event.

Injury permitting, she will go to the European Championships in Barcelona at the end of August as favourite for heptathlon gold.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version