10 Candidates For BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012
4. Jess Ennis (Athletics)
When the city of London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games Jess Ennis was handpicked to be the face of the Games. Following in the footsteps of legends like Kathy Freedman in 2000 and even Carl Lewis in 1984 the pressure to excel must have been near unbearable. Its a testament to her character that her attitude and professionalism during the games was so focused. To win the first gold in the new Olympic stadium in such a commanding fashion undoubtedly ignited Team GB to the success on both the track and the field. But she should really be commended for her stamina shown in the relentless marketing campaigns she has subsequently proscribed to post-Olympics. It looked almost harder than winning the Heptathlon! She overcame the pressure of winning and the challenge of returning from serious injury to create some of the most memorable moments of London 2012. The face of the Games should be the face of 2012, right?
By day an English teacher, by night a freelance writer. Dishing out points of view to people who may not need it, but might still appreciate it. I protect the ones I love by putting my full name on every article. My superpower is the ability to tell people about sports (football), games, movies, TV and general geekery even if they want to hear it or not.