Greg Rutherford wins long jump title at World Championship in Beijing
Wednesday 26 August 2015 08:58, UK
Britain's Greg Rutherford completed the full set of long jump titles with victory in the final of the World Championships in Beijing.
Rutherford's best leap of 8.41m in the fourth round was enough to beat Australia's Fabrice Lapierre by 17cm on a nightmare day for the fancied American jumpers.
The event was marred by a series of no-jumps with current European, Commonwealth and Olympic champion Rutherford failing to record a mark until the second round when he took the lead with a leap of 8.29m.
China's Jianan Wang moved into second, and would eventually take the bronze medal, with a jump of 8.18m in the third, where America's Mike Hartfield crashed out with a third successive foul.
Also exiting the competition was Jeff Henderson, the world leader this year, who managed 7.95m on his only legal jump and was pushed down to ninth when that mark was beaten by China's Jinzhe Li.
Rutherford extended his lead with his longest jump and was able to sit out the fifth round, when Lapierre moved into second by reaching 8.20m.
Lapierre went 4cm further with his last jump and Rutherford was able to celebrate victory when Wang made a mess of his last effort.
Rutherford becomes only the fifth Brit to have won a gold medal in the four major athletics championships. Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards have also won titles at Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth level.
And that left Rutherford somewhat starstruck, as he told Sky Sports: "When you name some of the names who have done it, they are some of the greatest athletes in British history.
"I'm not sure I am quite up to their level to be honest but it's great to walk away with my fourth title. The Olympics was my first major win and I think people thought it was a bit of a fluke, but I've managed to win a couple of smaller ones and now another massive one, and it's an incredible feeling.
"I'm exceptionally lucky, and I truly do have an incredibly special family. My dad even went and built me a long jump run in my back garden this year.
"Nobody knew me before the Olympics and I hope now everybody realises I work hard and I want this as much as anybody in the world."
