Jessica Ennis backs Tiffany Porter in captaincy role

Tiffany Porter celebrates silver in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships.

Jessica Ennis says Tiffany Porter is a "brilliant captain", and is backing the US-born hurdler to succeed.

The decision to name Porter as British team captain for the World Indoor Championships has been criticised in some sections of the media.

But Ennis insists the captaincy row did not worry her. She said: "As an athlete you just focus on your event and what you're doing.

"She was a brilliant captain and made a really good speech. I wish her well."

Ennis, who won silver in the pentathlon at the championships in Istanbul on Friday, said not being made captain meant she could focus on her own event and take the pressure of leading the team off her.

She told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek: "Obviously it is an honour to be made captain but it's such a busy day of events, it was great just to keep my head focused on that.

"It's really good to come together as a team when you're at a championships and you're all supporting each other but you are individually competing and you do have to keep really focused on your own individual performance."

Porter was born and raised in Michigan but has a London-born mother and British passport.

Former sprinter Allan Wells, who won the 100m gold at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, said: "It's not everybody's cup of tea being the captain and, as Jessica said, I think she would probably not want to be the captain so she could focus on her own event.

"If she [Porter] goes over that line first wearing a British vest then I'm sure the public will be behind her 100%."