Aviva European Trials and UK Championships
Dates: 25-27 June Venue: Alexander Stadium
Coverage: Watch live 1600-1715 BST on Saturday, 1730-2000 on Sunday on BBC Two and BBC Sport website (UK only); updates on BBC Radio 5 live Ennis won world heptathlon gold in style in Berlin last year World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis has been forced to miss this weekend's European Trials and UK Championships after coming down with a virus. The Sheffield star has been advised to rest by the UK Athletics medical team. She said: "I'm devastated to be missing this weekend in Birmingham. I love competing there and I am in such awesome shape." Ennis had been due to compete in four events as she prepares for the Europeans in Barcelona next month. She added: "I had a really great session on Thursday morning where everything was on track, then started to feel ill soon after. I've been advised to rest for three or four days. "I'm really gutted - I just want to wish everyone the best for this weekend and for them to know I'll be watching and cheering them on from home." Earlier this week she told BBC Sport: "I suppose it's a little bit scary when everyone's trying to beat you, but it's a great position to be in and I'm really enjoying it." Ennis has enjoyed a fine 2010, following her world heptathlon gold in Berlin last summer with another gold at the World Indoors in March and a win at the Gotzis Hypo-Meeting in May, where she fell only 142 points short of Denise Lewis's British record despite heavy rain and strong winds.  | Obviously I love doing the hurdles and the high jump, and the long jump and the shot is about getting in more practice and preparation before the Europeans |
She is the number-one ranked high jumper, long jumper and sprint hurdler in the UK. Ennis hopes to be back to compete against some of the world's best in the 200m and javelin at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead on 10 July before flying to Portugal for the British team's pre-Barcelona holding-camp. "I'm not expecting to win anything there. The javelin will be really weird - competing against athletes who are that good in an event which is slightly weaker for me may be slightly embarrassing, but it's perfect preparation for the Europeans," she said. | KATHARINE MERRY'S BLOG |
"I'm looking forward to the 200m because that will be really quick, and it's a chance to get my time down a bit." Ennis has been particularly pleased with her long jumping this summer, having been forced to switch take-off feet after the stress fracture that ruled her out of the Beijing Olympics two years ago. "It comes really naturally now. I think I'd struggle to jump off my right leg again. It's taken time to get right, because that leg wasn't used to reacting in that way, and I'm really glad I've stuck at it. "I'll carry on working at it, doing the drills and making sure I can become more consistent jumping around the 6.50 metre mark, work on the throws a bit more and polish up the hurdles and high jump to keep them where they are. "This part of the season is all about keeping things ticking over - I've done all the hard work in winter training, so it's now about maintaining the level of performance and making sure I can go out to Barcelona in the shape to medal." While she still hopes to double up and compete in the hurdles at the London Olympics in 2012, she will concentrate solely on the heptathlon in Barcelona. The hurdles final in Barcelona is due to take place just 20 minutes before the final event of the heptathlon, the 800m.
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