EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Ennis-Hill: “Winning Olympic Gold after having a baby would be ridiculous!”

From being Britain’s golden girl at the London Olympics to regaining her Heptathlon World title just months after giving birth, it’s no wonder Jessica Ennis-Hill has been described as “Britain’s most remarkable sports woman”.

Jessica took time out from preparing to defend her Olympic title next year in Rio to talk to Yahoo Sport about balancing training and motherhood, her rivalry with Katarina Johnson Thompson and her work inspiring the next generation.

1) Sky Academy research suggests that 33% of young people describe themselves as “not confident” - what was your confidence like going into the World Championships?

Definitely a little bit wobbly! Obviously it’s been a very different year for me – normally going into a major championship you’ve had a good block of training and you’ve had the chance to prepare properly, so I was definitely feeling nervous and anxious about what to expect.

2) Did you see yourself winning in your wildest dreams?

No! It was obviously the dream, but I thought it was definitely out of reach this year. I wanted to go there and do the best I could, but I didn’t allow myself to think about winning the gold medal.

3) When it comes to the next generation, Katarina Johnson-Thompson has made a real breakthrough this year. Does it help having that added competition from within your own team?

Yeah, domestic competition is brilliant and Kat has had some great performances while I’ve been away. It does help, as much as you want to see other British athletes do well, you want to do better, so that rivalry is a positive thing.

4) Have you given her any tips or are you waiting until after you’ve retired?

I’ll certainly wait until I’ve retired!

She’s a great athlete, who trains hard and has a great coach, so I don’t think she needs any tips from me! She’ll find her own path and she’ll be just as successful, if not more.

5) Only three athletes have ever retained an Olympic title after having a baby – does that surprise you?

No! To win an Olympic title then retain it is incredible – it’s an amazing thing to achieve, let alone when you’ve had a break to have a child.

Now becoming a mother I understand how hard it is physically on your body to get back into training and with all the other changes which happen when you have your first child.

To be able to do that and then win another Olympic gold medal would be ridiculous!

6) How hard is it to train with a baby in the house? They’re not always the most considerate of housemates, during the night especially….

Children are really unpredictable, there are so many things going on and it happens so fast – they’re teething, they’re poorly, it’s manic! You try to be as organised as you can but there are always those days when things don’t go to plan!

It’s a challenge, but you’ve just got to embrace it.

7) Were you expecting this much attention in an era when the majority of women do go back to work after maternity leave?

When you become a mother you realise how hard it is and you have a lot of respect for mothers who do step away from their career and then come back, whatever their job is. It’s great to highlight what amazing jobs women do.

In a sporting context, your body is your job, it’s your tool, and it changes so much. It takes a good year for your body to settle down and get back to normal. I’ve got so much respect for other mums.

8) The Sky Academy research also suggests that teenagers’ confidence is at its lowest at 17 – is there any advice you wish you could give the 17-year-old you?

When you’re that age everything is so intense, it feels like everything is the end of the world. It’s really hard to make friendships and decide what you want to do with you life.

I think I’d just say to myself, ‘ don’t over-think everything, just have confidence in yourself and do what you want to do’.

You’re a very different person at 29 to the person you were at 17, that’s why the Sky Academy is such a good project. You get to hear first hand from people who have been through what you’re going through.

9) You’ve famously been runner-up at BBC Sports Personality of the Year three times – you’ve got to be a shoe-in this year, right?

It would be amazing to win. There have been some great performances this year, and it’s always difficult with it being voted for on the night. Obviously I want to win it, but you just don’t know. It’ll be a great night, whatever.

Jessica is involved with Sky Academy Confidence Month. Sky Academy is a set of initiatives that use the power of TV, creativity and sport to help young people unlock their potential and since launching in November 2013, has helped over 250,000 young people across the UK and Ireland, with a goal of helping one million by 2020. Go to sky.com/academy