Jessica Ennis-Hill

“To be confident going out and performing, I need to be with my son for as long as possible; then I know I'm happy, and he's happy, and I can go out and put all my energy into performing.”

“I dislike conflict, so I do try and steer clear of arguments. Apart from with my coach. Who I literally have an argument with every day.”

“It's quite funny in that I once won Rear of the Year at my school! I was about 17 in the sixth form and we used to have an end of year celebration and give out different awards. I even got a little trophy!”

“People think the gold medal is yours and they say you're going to win - but they have no idea how hard it is. People aren't doing it negatively - they're mostly lovely and they really do want you to win - but they don't understand the difficulty and intensity of competition.”

“My idea of beauty is somebody that doesn't have to try too much, someone who is effortless and fresh.”

“After I stop competing, I'd like to do something that inspires people to get active and fit.”

“I'm proud of the way I've dealt with setbacks. It's hard when you feel down and you think, 'Why is the world doing this to me?' But you have to pick yourself up again. That's what makes you a better athlete.”

“To unwind after training, I love to have a long hot soak in the bath, then veg out on the sofa with a box set. I'm a box-set junkie! I absolutely love 'Grey's Anatomy.'”

“I do watch what I eat but I've got a real sweet tooth.”

“Motherhood has changed me as a person. I'm much happier and very content with life. That can only transfer positively to the track. It will make me a better athlete.”

“To get the adrenaline pumping between events - or to help me switch off, Jay Z, the Roots and Drake are on my playlist.”

“Some athletes feel they have to show they're confident and talk about what they're going to achieve. I don't think there's anything wrong with just quietly believing in yourself and just getting on with it. You don't have to talk about it all the time; you want your performances to show for it.”

“I think there's going to be pressure on all the British athletes. It's a home Olympics at the end of the day. I like adrenaline, that's something I feed off. I'm just going to go out there and do my best.”

“I've always known what I wanted. I've always wanted to be on top of that podium.”

“I love championships. That's when I want to be at my best. I love those environments. It brings the best out of me.”

“Training is full-on. Some days I really don't want to get out of bed and hit that track again. Sunday and Monday morning sessions are always horrible. But who really looks forward to going to work on a Monday morning?”

“Being a mother changes perspective. Things that were once really important, the sole focus of your life, aren't the same.”

“One minute you're a developing athlete trying to get to the top, then the next minute you do well and win a medal somewhere, and then it's all foisted on you. You never know when it's going to happen. You don't think about the media side of things when you're a young athlete trying to do well.”

“I started training with school friends and, one by one, they all dropped out. When we became teenagers, it seemed more exciting to go shopping at weekends. My mum told me not to worry about what my friends were doing and to stick at it.”

“There was a massive poster of me down my road, right outside the chip shop. I was about to go in, but then I saw it and changed my mind. Me coming out with a bag of chips, while I'm up there doing crunches on the poster... well, it would not look good.”