Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill has been forced to delay her comeback from an ankle injury after pulling out of the British Championships in Birmingham this weekend.
Ennis-Hill has not taken to the track since winning the Olympic heptathlon title at the London Games last year and UK Athletics said her recovery has continued to progress slowly.
The 27-year-old’s coach Toni Minichiello is still optimistic Ennis-Hill will be fit to compete at next month’s World Championships in Moscow, but there is now a real possibility that she will head to Russia with no competitive action under her belt.
Ennis-Hill is following a comprehensive rehabilitation programme, working with the UK Athletics medical team and her physiotherapist Alison Rose.
She is scheduled to compete at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco next Thursday, followed by Loughborough and the Olympic Anniversary Games the following week, although her participation remains very much up in the air.
Her decision not to compete in Birmingham means she has now pulled out of four meetings this year, including her scheduled heptathlon in Estonia at the end of last month.
Ennis-Hill initially opted to miss the indoor season following her Olympic exploits and start the outdoor campaign later than usual following her wedding.
The heptathlete is looking to regain her world title after having to settle for silver, behind Russia’s Tatyana Chernova, in Daegu in 2011.
Golden girl Ennis-Hill suffers more injury woe
