Jessica Ennis-Hill gives birth to first child, Reggie

Jessica Ennis-Hill plans to defend her Olympic title at the 2016 Rio Games

The 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has given birth to a boy.

Announcing the birth on her Twitter account, she said: "Our beautiful baby boy Reggie Ennis-Hill was born yesterday. We couldn't be happier."

Ennis-Hill, 28, from Sheffield, plans to defend her Olympic title at the 2016 Rio Games.

The athlete, who married Andy Hill in May 2013, was the poster-girl of London 2012.

Ennis-Hill revealed in January she was pregnant with her first child, ruling her out of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which start on Wednesday.

She said at the time she was "100% set on returning to full-time athletics" after the birth.

Fellow athletes, including 21-year-old Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who is the favourite for the heptathlon title at Hampden Park in Ennis-Hill's absence, were quick to post tributes on Twitter.

Johnson-Thompson, from Liverpool, has spoken of her excitement at going head-to-head with Ennis-Hill when her rival returns to the sport.

Olympic swimming stars Rebecca Adlington and Keri-anne Payne also tweeted their congratulations on the birth, as did UK Sport and Scottish Athletics.

Double Olympic gold medallist Adlington also complimented her fellow athlete on the choice of the new baby's name.

Ennis-Hill's last heptathlon was at the Olympic Stadium two summers ago. She missed last year's World Championships with an Achilles injury.