Paris 2024 Olympics: Jessica Ennis-Hill ‘excited’ for ‘new experience’ in Paris

Following her Olympic success in 2012 and 2016, former Team GB athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill has revealed her excitement to experience Paris 2024 as a spectator.

Writing for The Telegraph the two-time Olympic medallist explains that she has “never really seen much of the Olympics” due to her competitive involvement - but Paris 2024 is set to change that.

With tickets to the diving, beach volleyball, and judo, the 38 year-old is looking forward to witnessing “different sports and different types of athletes”.

Ennis-Hill has also called for celebration this summer, as Paris 2024 marks the first Olympic games with as many places for female competitors as male.

“There is that feeling of ‘why has it taken this long?’ but it is still something to celebrate,” she writes in her column.

Alongside the gender parity at Paris 2024 comes further support for mothers - a welcome change in Ennis-Hill’s eyes.

This summer’s Games will see the first-ever nursery stationed at the Olympic village, an initiative that has been spearheaded by former Team USA athlete Allyson Felix, whilst athletes who are breastfeeding will be staying in hotel rooms.

“There was nothing like that when I was competing,” the former World Champion explains. “If you wanted to have your children at a training camp, you had to do it somewhere else rather than in the team set-up.”

Motherhood has long been a topic of conversation for Olympians, with Team USA’s Hannah Martin and Team GB’s Helen Glover both voicing their concerns and thoughts over juggling Olympic preparation with having a family.

Prior to her Olympic success, Ennis-Hill's first taste of professional victory came in 2004 at the Northern Senior Indoor Championships when she was just 18 years old.

Two years later, the track and field athlete picked up Bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne before recording a personal best in the 100m hurdles at the AAA Championships.

Her personal bests continued at the 2006 European Championships in shot put, javelin, and the 200m, but it wasn’t until a year later at the 2007 World Championships that Ennis-Hill really broke onto the global stage when she achieved the fastest times in all three track events.

Devastating stress fractures caused the two-time Olympic medallist to miss out on Beijing in 2008, but she made up for it four years later at London 2012.

Ennis-Hill’s first Olympic medal came as a gold in the heptathlon which led to numerous awards and honours, as well as a CBE.

The Sheffield-born athlete was forced to put her training on hold throughout her pregnancy in 2014, but returned in time for the Beijing World Athletics Championships where she picked up the heptathlon gold.

Despite a struggle with injury in the lead up to Rio 2016, the then 31 year-old won silver in the heptathlon, losing out on gold to Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam.

Later that year, Ennis-Hill announced her retirement from athletics and went on to be named a Dame.

Since her retirement, the former World Champion has been vocal about issues she faced throughout her career.

From the nuances of female health to choosing between competition and parenthood, Ennis-Hill has consistently challenged the world of athletics whilst vocalising the need for progression.

Now, as she prepares to experience her first first Olympics as a true spectator, the 38 year-old welcomes the modernity of Paris 2024 and is looking forward to the introduction of new sports as well as new initiatives.

“I am getting to see it from the other side and be a spectator,” she writes. “Sporting rivalries, gender parity and a Games for mums – Paris here we come.”