Jessica Ennis-Hill on the moment she won Olympic gold

Lauren Laverne (0:13)

Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, welcome to Desert Island Discs Postcards, where we share funny, moving and memorable moments directly from our desert island with you every weekday.

Our cast away today is the Olympic champion and stepped athlete, Jessica Ennis-Hill. When I spooked her in 2021, she told me how she approached her final event at the London 2012 Olympics, the 800 meters.

Jessica Ennis-Hill (0:37)

There was no point in just jogging round and doing it half-heartedly. I wanted to push myself as hard as I could and have a great score and have that finish that I really wanted at the end of two really tough days. And the past few years of getting to that point as well.

Lauren Laverne (0:56)

And there is this iconic image of you with your arms stretched out wide, crossing the finish line after those two exhausting days of competition. And you can see in the background, you know, your rivals, the faces are contorted with the effort and the pain of all of it. But you just look completely serene. It's almost like you're flying. It's like a Titanic moment, arms out, you know, frown of the gym.

Just this serene look on your face. What do you remember about that moment?

Jessica Ennis-Hill (1:25)

I just remember the last kind of 150 meters before the line. I remember just having that feeling of the line is nearly there. I can see it. I've nearly done it. I've very nearly done it. I remember just being able to kind of change up her gear. So I just remember kind of injecting a bit of speed and being able to come past some of the girls and start pushing to the front. And in that moment of just the last meter or so across the line, it was just that pure relief. I had no plan to fling my arms up and do any kind of celebration. I had no idea how I'd react. But in that moment, it just happened. I felt the crowd just kind of lifted me and carried me along the line.

And that opening of my arms was that pure relief of almost breathing, a sigh of relief that I'd crossed the line and I'd done it.

Lauren Laverne (2:19)

Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill speaking to me in 2021

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds. Just search for Jessica Ennis-Hill, Desert Island Discs.