As Jessica Ennis prepares for the scan that will determine her Olympic future, the heptathlete who won gold on the back of being unable to walk for ten weeks said that she should wear her battle scars with pride.

Ennis was lying second after the first day of the heptathlon at the HypoMeeting in Götzis when she decided that the soreness in her right ankle was too much to continue. She crept out of her hotel at 4am yesterday and flew home for a scan today to determine the extent of the injury.

But Denise Lewis, whose gold medal in 2000 was a triumph over adversity, said yesterday that she believed the injury could help to make Ennis stronger. Although medical experts insist that it was a precautionary measure and Toni Minichiello, her coach, said that he was “probably being an old maid”, the fact that Paula Radcliffe was told she had a stress fracture when she went for the all-clear a fortnight ago will plant seeds of doubt.

Dave Collins, the UK Athletics performance director, said: “I hope people don't start saying the sky is falling down.” That said, the injuries to Ennis, Radcliffe and Nicola Sanders, who has pulled out of her season opener in Oregon next week, coupled with Kelly Sotherton's recent kidney illness, mean that four of Britain's top medal contenders are scarcely in the best of health just ten weeks before the Olympics.

Lewis told yesterday how she broke down in tears when doctors first told her that she would not make it to Sydney after a calf operation, and, when she did get there, she admitted that she would not take off her tights in the warm-up because she did not want her rivals to see how heavily strapped her leg was. “This reminds me of what happened going into Sydney, but the difference was I couldn't even walk,” Lewis said of Ennis's plight.

“She needs to be calm and listen to what is being said to her. Things will be going around her head - ‘What if this means I can't go to Beijing?' It's bound to. But this is what happens. It's about the battle-scarring you need to be an Olympic champion. When you are fit, it's easy, but there are lots of times when you are not fully fit and you still have to go out there and do it. It's the grit and determination you need to be a champion and I think Jessica has got that.”

Ennis said that she was “gutted” as she sat in the treatment room at the stadium in Götzis with an ice pack on her right ankle on Saturday night. The problem surfaced a week ago in long jump training and worsened during the high jump here. Yet, despite the injury, Ennis ran an encouraging 13.36sec into a strong headwind in the 100metres hurdles and set three personal bests in the shot, one of her traditional weak spots. Significantly, she was ahead of Lyudmila Blonska, the Olympic favourite, after four events, although Anna Bogdanova, a Russian who was only tenth at last year's World Championships, led after setting personal bests in every event. “She's the one who surprised me,” Ennis said. In the end Tatyana Chernova, another Russian, won with a hefty score of 6,618, from Blonska and Bogdanova.

Lewis said that Ennis had nothing to fear now Carolina Klüft has ended her heptathlon hegemony by turning to long jump. “I hate hanging medals around people's necks, but she knew before this there was a medal at these Olympics,” Lewis said. “If the diagnosis is good, that hasn't changed.”

There was better news elsewhere for Britain, with Tyrone Edgar getting an Olympic qualifying time, running 10.06sec in the 100metres in Geneva. Martyn Rooney also set a personal best, 45.19sec, in the 400metres, while Larry Achike leapt 17.20 metres to gain an Olympic qualifying mark in the triple jump. Outside of New York, the biggest shock came in the Golden League in Berlin, where LaShawn Merritt beat Jeremy Wariner in the 400metres.

Sheffield Steel

Born January 28, 1986 in Sheffield

Club City of Sheffield

Career Bronze at the 2005 World University Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Fourth at the 2007 World Championships

Personal best 6,469pts

Strong points High jump and the track events - 100metres hurdles, 200metres and 800metres

Weak points Javelin and shot

Likes Justin Timberlake, Sex And The City

Dislikes The 800 metres

Family When a young Ennis needed persuading to continue athletics, her grandfather, Rod Powell, bribed her with a pound for every personal best