Ennis joined the City of Sheffield Athletic Club at 11 and met her coach, Toni Minichiello, the following year. "My first impression was that she was a damn sight better than any kid in Sheffield," Minichiello, 45, says. It was he who encouraged her to try the heptathlon, the seven-discipline, two-day event that is made up of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m.