Lord Sebastian Coe believes that British athletics is entering an exciting era for heptathlon as Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Morgan Lake suggest that a three-way rivalry could occur over the next few years.

Ennis-Hill, who won gold at London 2012, is scheduled to return to action later this year after giving birth to her first child, while Johnson-Thompson won the pentathlon crown at the European Indoors earlier this month.

Seventeen-year-old Morgan Lake has also started to make her breakthrough in the senior ranks, and Coe believes that the head-to-head battles will attract more viewers to the sport.

Coe is quoted by BT Sport as saying: "Head-to-heads are what get people up, aren't they? My kids were getting up at three o'clock in the morning at the weekend to watch Hamilton and Rosberg in the F1.

"It is head-to-heads that get people up, it's what excites people. And the more opportunities we have for athletes going head-to-head the better. It's what people talk about: it's the subject of conversation.

"It's not even just Jess and Katarina either: you've got Morgan coming through who I'm sure will be equally good, so it's an extraordinary period to be entering."

The trio will all hope to qualify for the World Championships in Beijing later this year.