Greg Rutherford says farewell...to his British fans*

British long-jumping legend and Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion, Greg Rutherford was denied a dream farewell to the sport during his final year of competition; having to settle for a second round effort of 7.43m as his best mark in the long jump competition of the Muller Grand prix at the Diamond League Meeting at the Alexander Stadium Birmingham today.

Rutherford said: “I am incredibly lucky to have is an opportunity to come out in the stadiums one last time to wave to the crowds, sign lots of autographs and meet lots of people because that’s part of what I think as an athlete you should do. You should give back when you can and that is what I am using this time to do.

Greg Rutherford on his way to 7.43m in the second round of jumps

“I wanted to turn this into my farewell tour and I just want to have a chance to go one more time in the big British meets and try and enjoy it and actually see it from a different sort of standing point.”

* - Greg is scheduled to compete one last time at the Newcastle Great City Games in early September

Greg Rutherford to miss Glasgow International Grand Prix - hopes to be back for UK Indoors

Olympic and world long jump champion Greg Rutherford has pulled out of Saturday's Glasgow International Grand Prix with a "minor injury" sustained in Albuquerque, USA, last Friday.

Greg Rutherford, Grand Prix, NIA Birmingham, Feb 2014

He had been set to face Paralympic long jump champion Markus Rehm this weekend but we're all hoping that he will be fit to compete at the UK Indoor Athletic Championships in Sheffield on 27-28 February.

Greg Rutherford sets new British indoor long jump record of 8.26m

Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion Greg Rutherford has set a new British indoor long jump record of 8.26m at a collegiate meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Greg Rutherford, Grand Prix, Birmingham, Feb 2014

Rutherford, who has been training in the United States, improved Chris Tomlinson's previous best of 8.18m recorded in Stuttgart in February 2008.  The 29-year-old set the record with his second jump after opening with 7.96m. He fouled his third attempt and sat out the rest of the competition.

Take a few minutes to check your facts......

Recently I was at the Northern Athletics Senior Indoor Championships at the EIS, Sheffield where I captured Katarina Johnson-Thompson breaking the Championship record with 6.63m in the long jump.  Her good start to 2015 prompted many articles, one of which claimed:

"...And, clearly, it has helped.  Body and mind fully refreshed, Johnson-Thompson returned to action with a bang at the Northern Indoor Championships in Sheffield last weekend, smashing her 2014 best in the long jump and equaling [sic] her PB in the 60m hurdles. That it was all done in Jess Ennis-Hill's hometown won't have been lost on anyone..."

Anyone with access to an internet search engine would have soon seen that her 6.63m was good but still well short of her 6.92m set in Glasgow on 11th July 2014.  (And that was confirmed by the IAAF not just Wikipedia......).  Cue one vacancy in the Copy department?  

Katarina Johnson-Thompson starts off the 2015 indoor season in fine style

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Liverpool Harriers AC, coach Mike Holmes) came to the Northern Indoor Athletics Senior Indoor Championships at EIS Sheffield this weekend for her first indoor competition of the year.  She overcame a sore throat to post 8.40seconds in the 60m hurdles (to equal her PB), managed 12.32m in the shot put, and a winning 6.63m in the long jump.

As I had chance to set up a static remote today, this picture is a composite of her first jump, merged together to show the flowing action.

Greg Rutherford sets outright British long jump record

Well done to Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford who has become the outright British long jump record holder after jumping 8.51m at an event at the Olympic Training Centre in San Diego.

He fouled his first two jumps and registered a leap of 8.18m before breaking the record with his fourth effort.  The Milton Keynes athlete won the meeting, with Tyron Stewart of the US second with a best jump of 8.39m.

Here's hoping his good form (he was impressive in February at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix) continues this year until at least the Commonwealth Games.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson wins silver in the long jump at the World Indoor Athletics in Sopot

Katarina Johnson-Thompson won her first major medal with silver in the long jump at the World Indoor Championships.  The Liverpudlian led after the second round with a personal best of 6.81m, but she was pipped to gold by France's Eloyse Lesueur who leapt out to 6.85m.

This eclipsed her previous best of 6.75m, set at the recent UK Indoor Championships and bodes well for a great season for her following on from her great performances in the high jump and hurdles as well this year.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson wins the Long Jump in a World qualifying distance

Following on from Saturday’s national high jump record, Johnson-Thompson (Liverpool Harriers) will have delighted her coach Mike Holmes to win the Women's Long Jump in 6.75m – a second world indoor qualifier in as many days.

 

“It was definitely the best I could have imagined. I didn’t sleep last night so I feel really tired and didn’t expect to come out and do that!” she said.

“I skipped the hurdles because I wanted to be really cautious for next weekend, I really want to qualify for the World Indoor Championships in the pentathlon. It gives me great confidence, even if I can’t get to that standard I know I can get close to it and that’s what it’s about in pentathlon; being consistent.

See more photos from the event at: Andy Chubb Photography