 Rutherford in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gregory James Rutherford[1] |
| Born | (1986-11-17)17 November 1986 (age 39)[1] |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Men'sathletics |
Event | Long jump |
| Club | Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club |
| Turned pro | 2005 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | Long jump 8.51 m (Chula Vista 2014) 100 m 10.26 (Gateshead 2010)[2] |
Medal record | |
Gregory James Rutherford (born 17 November 1986)[3][4] is a retiredBritishtrack and field athlete who specialised in thelong jump.[5] He represented Great Britain at the Olympics, World and European Championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. Rutherford is the most recent of only five athletes to win the ''Grand Slam" of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles in the same event and the only one also to win the Diamond League.
A European Junior Champion in 2005, Rutherford first made a mark on the senior circuit with a silver medal in the2006 European Athletics Championships. Between 2012 and 2016 Rutherford won the long jump gold medal at the2012 Summer Olympics,2014 Commonwealth Games,2014 and2016 European Athletics Championships and2015 World Athletics Championships and topped the2015 IAAF Diamond League rankings in the event. A bronze at the2016 Summer Olympics proved his final major medal, as ankle injuries plagued him for the next two years. He retired from the sport through injury in 2018.
From 4 September 2015, when his Diamond League victory was confirmed with a fourth event win in Zürich, until his withdrawal from the British Athletics Championships in June 2016, Rutherford held every available elite outdoor title; national, continental, World, Olympic, Diamond League and Commonwealth.
Rutherford is theBritish record holder, both outdoors and indoors, for this event with his personal bests of 8.51 m (outdoors) and 8.26 m (indoors). He was a five time national outdoor champion and his British record places him in the top 25 all time.
In September 2021 Rutherford was selected as part of the Britishbobsleigh team but was injured during preparations to qualify for the2022 Winter Olympics.
Gregory James Rutherford was born on 17 November 1986 and grew up in Milton Keynes where he attended Two Mile Ash Primary School[6] and went on toDenbigh School.[7] He played several sports as a youth including football, rugby and badminton.[8] He had trials withPremier League football clubAston Villa at the age of 14 before deciding to pursue a career in athletics.[9]
He is the great-grandson of footballerJock Rutherford, who won threeFootball League First Division titles withNewcastle United and 11England caps, and is also the oldest player ever to have played forArsenal;[10] his grandfather,John Rutherford, also played for Arsenal.[11]
Rutherford became the youngest ever winner of the long jump event at theAAA Championships in 2005, aged 18.[8] He also won theEuropean Junior Championships that year, setting a British junior record of 8.14 m.[9]
Rutherford was selected to represent England at the2006 Commonwealth Games,[9] where he finished 8th.[4] He won the AAA championships again that year with a jump of 8.26 m.[12] On 8 August 2006, he won the silver medal in the long jump at theEuropean Athletics Championships inGothenburg with a jump of 8.13 m.[13]
Rutherford missed much of the 2007 season due to a succession of injury problems, including an ankle injury for which he had surgery in February of that year.[14] He competed at the2007 World Championships but did not reach the final, finishing 21st in the qualifying round.[15]
Rutherford won the AAA title on 12 July 2008, reaching the Olympic qualifying distance of 8.20 m.[16] He also won theLondon Grand Prix at Crystal Palace two weeks later with a distance of 8.16 m.[17] At the2008 Olympics in Beijing Rutherford qualified for the final in third place with a distance of 8.16 m. In the final, he had two no-jumps in the first two rounds, and recorded a distance of 7.84 m in the third round. This was not enough to place him in the top 8 who would continue to the final three rounds, and he finished in 10th place.[18]
Rutherford set a British record of 8.30 m on 20 August 2009 in the qualifying round of theWorld Athletics Championships in Berlin,[19] improving the previous record held by Chris Tomlinson by 1 cm.[20] He was unable to match this performance in the final of the event, finishing fifth with a jump of 8.17 m.[21]
Rutherford did not compete at the2010 European Championships due to a foot injury.[22] On 18 September he set a personal best for the 100 m of 10.26 seconds in the invitational event at the Great North City Games.[2][23] At the2010 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal with a jump of 8.22 m.[22]
Rutherford extended his personal best in the long jump to 8.32 m at the Eugene Diamond League meeting on 4 June 2011, although it was not recognised as a British record as it waswind assisted.[24] In July 2011 Chris Tomlinson broke Rutherford's British record with a jump of 8.35 m in Paris.[25] At the2011 World Championships, Rutherford injured ahamstring during the qualifying round and did not reach the final.[20]
After the 2011 season, Rutherford worked on his take-off technique with his coachDan Pfaff, adopting a technique based on that ofCarl Lewis of making the penultimate step of the approach a lateral step outwards.[26]
Rutherford equalled Tomlinson's British record on 3 May 2012 with a jump of 8.35 m at the OTC Pre-Olympic Series II event inChula Vista, California.[27] It was also the longest jump of 2012 at the time (later equalled bySergey Morgunov on 20 June).[28]
At the2012 Olympics in London, Rutherford reached the final with a jump of 8.08 m, qualifying in fourth place.[29] In the final, he took the lead in the second round with a jump of 8.21 m, improving to 8.31 m in the fourth round which proved to be the winning jump.[30] Rutherford became the second British man to win Olympic gold in the long jump,[31] the first wasLynn Davies in 1964.[7] Although his winning distance of 8.31 m was the shortest since1972,[30] it was 15 cm ahead of silver medallistMitchell Watt[32] and his second-best jump of 8.21 m would also have been enough to win the gold.[33] Rutherford's gold was one of three won by British track and field athletes on the evening of 4 August 2012 (the others were won byJessica Ennis in the heptathlon andMo Farah in the men's 10,000 m); this was the first time that three gold medals had been won by British athletes in the same Olympic athletics session.[34]
Following his gold medal, Rutherford (as with the other British 2012 Olympic champions) was featured on aRoyal Mail postage stamp, and two post boxes in Milton Keynes were painted gold in his honour.[35]
Rutherford parted company with Dan Pfaff, his coach, in early 2013, when Pfaff returned to his native United States.[36]
Rutherford sustained a hamstring injury during theParis Diamond League meeting on 6 July, which forced him to withdraw midway through the competition.[37]British Athletics delayed announcing their selection for the men's long jump at theWorld Championships due to the injury, but on 30 July Rutherford's selection was confirmed after he passed fitness tests.[38] At the championships Rutherford failed to reach the final, finishing 14th in the qualifying round on 14 August with a jump of 7.87 m.[39] In the autumn of 2013 Rutherford appointed Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo as his coach. Tawiah-Dodoo also coaches 100 m2013 European Junior ChampionChijindu Ujah and 200 m2011 European Junior ChampionDavid Bolarinwa. Rutherford's decision to work with a sprint coach was inspired by advice from former World and Olympic long jump championDwight Phillips.[36]
In February 2014, Rutherford said he would trial for thewinter sports events ofbobsleigh andskeleton, in the hope of competing in the2018 Winter Olympics. He toldThe Guardian: "There is something about going down the ice head first that massively appeals to me. I genuinely want to try skeleton and bobsleigh. [...] If I am good enough, my plan will be to continue through tothe summer Olympics and after 2016 either switch or spend my winters doing the new sport."[40] In April, at an early season event at theOlympic Training Center inChula Vista, California, Rutherford jumped a personal best of 8.51 m, setting a new British record.[41] The new record was disputed by rival long-jumperChris Tomlinson, who used video evidence to suggest the jump was illegal, but a technical panel assembled byUK Athletics deemed the video evidence to be inconclusive, and the record was upheld.[42]
Rutherford won the gold medal at theCommonwealth Games in July with a jump of 8.20 m.[43] In August he won gold at theEuropean Athletics Championships with a jump of 8.29 m.[44]
In February 2015 Rutherford won theBirmingham Indoor Grand Prix with a jump of 8.17 m, a new indoor personal best.[45] In June he won the Diamond League events inBirmingham with a jump of 8.35 m,[46] and inOslo with a jump of 8.25 m.[47]
Rutherford won the gold medal at theWorld Championships on 25 August with a jump of 8.41 m, his second-longest jump ever and the furthest he has so far jumped in a major championship. He is one of only six athletes to jump over 8.40 m in a world championship final this century. His victory made him the fifth British athlete to hold Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles simultaneously, afterDaley Thompson,Linford Christie,Sally Gunnell andJonathan Edwards.[48]
The following week, Rutherford won the long jump at the finalIAAF Diamond League event of the year, the Weldklasse in Zurich. In doing so, he confirmed his victory in the overall Diamond race for the event, making him the first British athlete ever to hold all available outdoor titles – National (British), Continental (European), Commonwealth, Diamond League, World and Olympic titles – at the same time.[49]
In February 2016 Rutherford set a new British indoor long jump record of 8.26 m in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[50] In July he successfully defended hisEuropean Championship title with a jump of 8.25 m.[51]
Rutherford took the bronze medal at the2016 Summer Olympics with a jump of 8.29 m in the final round, behindJeff Henderson who won gold andLuvo Manyonga who won silver. He expressed his disappointment afterwards at not having retained his Olympic title, describing it as a "bitter pill".[52]
At the end of the 2016 season, Rutherford hosted a long jump competition using the pit he had built in his back garden, for members of his athletics club, Marshall Milton Keynes.[53] Although he did not compete in the long jump, he competed in the alternative standing long jump event, reaching a distance of 3.26 metres. There are plans for other, larger competitions in the future, with Rutherford planning to invite many jumpers from the international circuit to compete.[54] The event was held as part of the nationwide "I Am Team GB" sports day.[55]
In July 2017 Rutherford announced that he could not defend his title on home ground at the upcomingWorld Championships as he had not recovered from an ankle injury sustained the previous month.[56] The following February he withdrew from the2018 Commonwealth Games, due to be held on theGold Coast in Australia that April, due to a lack of training following his recovery from the ankle injury.[57] In June of that year Rutherford announced his retirement from the sport due to ongoing pain in his left ankle: he also expressed an interest in taking uptrack cycling, revealing that he had discussed the possibility of undertaking performance testing withBritish Cycling.[58] He subsequently returned to theLondon Stadium to compete at the 2018 Anniversary Games in July, and made his last appearance in competition at the Great North CityGames in Newcastle in September 2018.[59] Following his retirement, Rutherford and fellow athleteMorgan Lake undertook assessments withBritish Rowing in November 2018, based on their World Class Start talent identification programme: he set a new record for theirleg press test.[60]
Having already expressed an interest in competing in bobsleigh or skeleton in 2014,[40] In April 2021 Rutherford announced that he had joined the Team GB bobsleigh setup, having started training again during theCOVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. He stated that he had been encouraged to take up the sport by double Olympic bobsleigh championKaillie Humphries.[61] Rutherford trained alongside his new team-mates for the first time the following month.[62] In September 2021 Rutherford was selected as part of the British bobsleigh team for the2021–22 Bobsleigh World Cup and which would attempt toqualify for the two-man and four-man events2022 Winter Olympics inBeijing, forming part of a five-man squad alongside pilotLamin Deen and fellow push athletesJoel Fearon,Ben Simons andToby Olubi.[63] However, Deen and his crew did not achieve the qualifying standard of three top 12 finishes in the World Cup, resulting in them not securing a slot at the Olympics.[64]
Rutherford has appeared in several popular light entertainment television programmes.
In 2012, Rutherford and gymnastLouis Smith took part in an episode ofThe Million Pound Drop Live as part of their 'Celebrity Games' series.[65]
In 2013, he appeared in an episode ofFake Reaction,[66] a celebrity special edition ofThe Cube (winning £20,000 forBattersea Dogs & Cats Home and Hula Animal Rescue),[67] and was a panellist onWould I Lie to You?.[68]
In 2014, Rutherford participated inThe Great Sport Relief Bake Off.[69] and appeared as a contestant onThe Chase: Celebrity Special, but was beaten by the chaser.[70]
In 2015, he was a participant in theChannel 4 programmeTime Crashers, in which ten celebrities are transported to different historical settings in the United Kingdom where they experience the life of the lower classes and are set tasks relating to that era.[71]
From September 2016, Rutherford was a contestant in thefourteenth series ofStrictly Come Dancing where he was partnered with professionalNatalie Lowe. He was eliminated in week 9, after a dance-off withClaudia Fragapane. Also in 2016, he appeared in five episodes of Season 1 of the television seriesBattlechefs.[72]
In 2017 Rutherford worked forEurosport as an analyst for the channel's coverage of the World Athletics Championships after he was unable to compete in the event due to injury.[73]
In 2019, Rutherford won the 14th season ofCelebrity MasterChef.[74] Rutherford also appeared in theBBC Two seriesPilgrimage,[75] walkingVia Francigena, an ancientpilgrimage route to Rome. Rutherford revealed he was brought up as aJehovah's Witness and was now "non-religious".[76]
In April 2021, Rutherford joined fellow British OlympiansNicola Adams andKelly Smith, and fitness instructorMr Motivator in launching the ‘Energy Fit for the Future’ campaign by Smart Energy GB, which aimed at encouraging people to installsmart meters in their homes.[77]
At the postponed2020 Summer Olympics, held in the summer of 2021 inTokyo, Rutherford was part of Eurosport andDiscovery+'s coverage of the Games as a reporter on the ground in Japan.[78]
In 2024, Rutherford became a contestant on thesixteenth series ofDancing on Ice.[79] He was paired withVanessa James and the couple reached the final of the series, however on the day of the final, they were forced to withdraw from the competition after Rutherford tore his abdominal muscles during training and required hospitalisation.[80] In July 2024, Rutherford won an episode ofThe Weakest Link.[81] He has appeared on the ITV show YouBet.[82]
Rutherford was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to athletics.[3] In July 2013, he was awarded anhonorary doctorate of science by theUniversity of Bedfordshire.[83] Rutherford was given theEuropean Athletics Lifetime Achievement award in October 2018.[84]
A metal statue in honour of Rutherford, by artist Clare Bigger, was erected in Milton Keynes, in June 2014.[85]
Rutherford lives inWoburn Sands, a town on the outskirts ofMilton Keynes.[86] He and his partner, Susie Verrill, have two sons and one daughter.
Rutherford has stated that he was brought up as aJehovah's Witness, but was personally irreligious.
Rutherford is an avid supporter ofManchester United,[26] and is an Athlete Ambassador for the global sport for development charityRight To Play. In August 2014, Rutherford was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardian opposingScottish independence in the run-up to September'sreferendum on that issue.[87]
In March 2017 Rutherford revealed that his former agent Gab Stone had embezzled over £40,000 (over £53,200 in 2023)[88] from him to fund a gambling addiction, which he discovered at the beginning of 2015. Stone was subsequently convicted of fraud by deception and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Rutherford stated that he decided to disclose the fraud to warn other athletes who might be taken advantage of in a similar way.[89]
| Event | Time/distance | Venue | Date | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres (indoor) | 6.68 seconds[90] | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 21 February 2009 | |
| 100 metres | 10.26 seconds | Gateshead, United Kingdom | 18 September 2010 | |
| Long jump | 8.51 m | Chula Vista, California, USA | 25 April 2014 | British record |
| Long jump (indoor) | 8.26 m | Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | 5 February 2016 | British record |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | European Junior Championships | Kaunas, Lithuania | 1st | 8.14 m |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games | Melbourne, Australia | 8th | 7.85 m |
| European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 2nd | 8.13 m | |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 21st | 7.77 m |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 10th | 7.84 m |
| 2009 | European Indoor Championships | Turin, Italy | 6th | 8.00 m |
| World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 5th | 8.17 m | |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 11th | 7.80 m |
| Commonwealth Games | New Delhi, India | 2nd | 8.22 m | |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 15th | 8.00 m |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 8.31 m |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 14th | 7.87 m |
| 2014 | Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 8.20 m |
| European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 1st | 8.29 m | |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 1st | 8.41 m |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1st | 8.25 m |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 3rd | 8.29 m |
Rutherford won seven national titles, spanning the period from theAAA Championships to theBritish Athletics Championships and including twoBritish Indoor Championships.
| Championships | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoors | 5 | 2005,2006.2008,2012,2015 |
| Indoors | 2 | 2010,2018 |
|
European Athletics Championships champions in men'slong jump | |
|---|---|
|
Commonwealth Games champions in men'slong jump | |
|---|---|
|
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
