The 29-year-old Olympic champion surprised the sporting world and herself by winning a second heptathlon gold medal in the World Championships in Beijing, a year after giving birth to son Reggie and after recovering from an Achilles tendon problem. She only entered the competition after lengthy discussions with coach Toni Minichiello who convinced she was capable of winning some colour of medal.
She said: “I genuinely didn’t think I would win the gold. It was a bit of a reach, having not done as much training as I would like to have done.”