Eurosport - Fri, 28 Aug 15:26:00 2009
World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis has said the champagne will remain on ice until after the British Grand Prix on Monday.
The 23-year-old has been plastered across the back pages since becoming Great Britain's first world heptathlon champion, capping a remarkable 12 months having been sidelined with a fractured ankle for the best part of a year.
That injury ruled Ennis out of the Beijing Olympics but she was in unstoppable form in Berlin, claiming a personal best points tally of 6731 - only 100 short of Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis's British record.
Ennis has decided against competing in one more heptathlon this season, opting out of next month's IAAF World Combined Events Challenge.
But the Sheffield-based star revealed the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd in Gateshead on Monday - where she will compete in the 100m hurdles - was too good to pass up.
"To come back to the UK from Berlin as a gold medallist is fantastic," said Ennis. "I am really looking forward to the Aviva British Grand Prix - it will be great to keep competing.
"To perform in front of a British crowd will be fantastic - I've never been to Gateshead before so I haven't got any memories of it so it will all be new to me but I can't wait.
"After Berlin I just want one more competition and the chance to do it in front of a home crowd is great. Then I can relax and enjoy the moment."
Meanwhile, Great Britain's other gold medallist from the World Championships, Phillips Idowu, will also be returning to action in Gateshead.
Idowu finally got his hands on a major championship gold medal with a new personal best leap of 17.73m and the 30-year-old Londoner also has designs on ending his year on a high.
"I always said I will have one last meeting after the worlds at Gateshead - and I will probably call it a day after that in terms of my season," he said.
"Things can get so intense at this time of the year - you work yourself so hard that there is always a comedown when things slow down.
"Last year I came to Gateshead and was ill after Beijing so it's nice to come back and hopefully I can get my first victory up here."
In the men's 400m double gold medallist LaShawn Merritt leads a quality field including three of Britain's Beijing 4x400m silver medallists Michael Bingham, Rob Tobin and Martyn Rooney.
Tyson Gay, who took 100m silver behind world-record breaking Usain Bolt in Berlin, starts alongside three of the British relay team Tyrone Edgar, Marlon Devonish and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
World 200m champion Allyson Felix and bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie will also face off.
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