Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Rutherford to hang up spikes
GREG Rutherford, the former Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth long jump champion, intends to retire from athletics at the end of the summer.
Rutherford’s finest hour came during “Super Saturday” at London 2012, when he was one of six Britons to capture Olympic gold on a day that has gone down as one of the finest in UK sporting history.
He then claimed bronze at Rio 2016 but injuries restricted him to just three competitive outings last year and he has decided he will bring the curtain down on his career this year.
The 31-year-old said in an Instagram post: “I’m incredibly proud of my career. I’ve achieved so much but retirement comes early to those of us for whom sport is a livelihood.”
Rutherford followed up Olympic glory by topping the podium at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2014.
He completed the set at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
The Milton Keynes athlete, the i ndoor and outdoor British record holder, plans to defend his European title in Berlin in August as part of his swansong.
He added: “I’m going to go for the European Championships one final time. And then I’ll also be jumping in Birmingham and London for the Diamond Leagues.”