Former Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has been named in a five-man Great Britain bobsleigh squad attempting to reach Beijing 2022; 34-year-old took part in series of tests and will now join squad hoping to qualify for Winter Olympics in February
Wednesday 29 September 2021 16:47, UK
Former Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has been selected for one of the GB bobsleigh squads bidding to reach the 2022 Winter Olympics.
34-year-old Rutherford would be the first British athlete - and only the seventh athlete ever - to win medals at both the summer and winter Olympic Games if he manages to reach the podium in Beijing, after his gold at London 2012 and Bronze at Rio 2016.
After taking part in a series of tests at the British bobsleigh and skeleton headquarters in Bath, Rutherford earned his place in a five-man squad that will now attempt to qualify for the Winter Olympics, which take place in February 2022.
In an Instagram post, Rutherford said: "HUGE NEWS!
"A massive milestone has been hit in my bobsleigh journey. A few weeks ago we had our trials and I managed to qualify for the British team to compete this winter!
"The team now has to qualify for the Olympic Games by placing well on the World Cup circuit (as does every team).
"This has been a huge undertaking, going from a very retired former athlete, to retraining in a new sport and qualifying for the team. A massive thank you to everyone who's helped thus far.
"We start competing in a couple of months' time with the medal dream very much alive. The entire journey is being documented by Discovery/Eurosport so everyone will get to see exactly what it takes and I can't wait to share more on here as it progresses."
Rutherford retired from athletics in 2018 after long-running injury issues but announced he would pursue bobsleigh earlier this year.
Even though he is yet to sit in a bobsleigh, the coaches believe in his physical ability, and he proved himself at the tests.
Qualifying takes place over seven events that conclude in January.
