Jessica Ennis-Hill

“I want to experience that massive adrenalin rush when you step into a new stadium, all the more so when that Olympic Stadium is packed full of people waving British flags.”

“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'm so impatient. I can't even stand waiting for a cab, and I'm always early for everything. In training, it means I want to run my personal best every session - but it takes time.”

“The closer I get to retirement, the more I feel it will be a huge change, a shock, because athletics has been the core of my whole life. I know I'll miss the feeling of running fast, the adr...”

“After my first day of competition I put on compression socks. They help me recover for the next day.”

“I sit down with my coach to watch past performances. But I can be very critical. I don't watch myself very often - it makes me cringe!”

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

“Things have changed so much, with Facebook and Twitter. Everyone is so much more accessible these days: no British athlete has ever experienced what we are experiencing now. It's such a uniq...”

“I don't look at Twitter between events because it's a distraction but I will ring my fiance and parents to let them know how it's going.”

“I think that's one of the first things you'd say if you met me: that I am just nice and smiley. And that's how I might appear when I'm not competing. But I'm totally different when it comes...”

“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 t...”

“I love getting dressed up for red carpet events and having my hair and makeup done professionally - that definitely helps with nerves of going down the red carpet.”

“I carry a golf ball to put under my feet when they get tight, and a Thera-Band for general stretching.”

“I wasn't the kind of kid who would get A's without even trying. I had to work to get good grades, but I was very organised about it because I always wanted to do well at everything I did. I'...”

“We always spend more time on the throwing events and a little bit more on the long jump. They're my weaker events - they don't come as naturally to me as running and jumping. I like the hurd...”

“There is a need to be the best you can be. You can't panic; you concentrate. When I run up to the hurdles, I'm very nervous, but I'll tend to think about technical things to keep my mind foc...”

“I was around 15 when I first wanted to compete in an Olympics. I even remember the first time I got to wear a GB kit as a junior. I've even kept it. It's in my mum's loft somewhere, probably...”

“I learned what I need to do in the long jump, what I needed to do in the javelin and I've been able to rectify those events. It's been a bit of a learning curve, which is good.”

“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 wan...”

“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...”