Rapidly improving Sale Harrier Jessica Taylor says Glasgow 2014 was not even on her radar before this season

We may have expected a Jessica to feature on the heptathlon podium in Glasgow, but not with the surname Taylor.

In fact, the new Commonwealth heptathlon bronze medallist was even behind another Jessica Tappin on the UK rankings for 2013.

With Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill out injured last year, Jessica Taylor was only the sixth-best ranked heptathlete in the UK.

She admitted after collecting her bronze medal that the Commonwealth Games weren’t even on her radar at the start of this year. We actually bought tickets to come and watch and now my cousin’s taken my seat,” said the Sale Harrier.

But with a score 437 points higher than her pre-season PB, Taylor became England’s most unlikely medallist yet.

Setting personal bests in three of the events, her score of 5826 left her behind Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Jessica Zelinka another of three Jessicas in the event. They kept saying ‘Jessica’s up next’ and we were saying, ‘which one?’” laughed Taylor.

She not only seems to have the right name to be a top heptathlete, but her progress too suggests she can go a lot further.

As well as the right name. she also has the right training set-up. She trains alongside Katarina Johnson-Thompson under the same coach, Mike Holmes.

She sent me a lovely text before with some really good advice,” Taylor said of Johnson-Thompson, who was forced to miss the Games herself through injury. What a person to train with, chasing her down on the sprint sessions is quite tough. But it’s improved my sprinting.”

Reflecting on the two days, she said: I have no idea where that came from. I think I’ve smiled the whole way through this weekend. I’m just loving every minute of it. It’s pretty cool to be stood next to Brianne on the podium.”

We might have to get used to the possibility of Ennis-Hill and Zelinka not being the only Jessicas on the medal rostrum in future.

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