Greg eyes more gold

Date published: 31 July 2014


GREG Rutherford is already plotting a path to his next major triumph after adding Commonwealth gold to his Olympic long jump title.

The 27–year–old, who last year came close to quitting the sport because of a serious hamstring injury, leapt 8.20 metres to silence the critics who branded him lucky to win at London 2012.

And the Milton Keynes athlete now has his sights set on taking the European title in Zurich next month.

"It's a fantastic feeling. This is ultimately why we do it. It wasn't the most incredible performance in the world in terms of distance, but to come away with a gold medal is fantastic," he said.

"It proves everything I have been doing is the right thing to be doing.

"My therapist drove up from London to treat me and because I was worried my hamstring wasn't going to hold up. It had been giving me gip.

“But I held up and managed to win a major championship, which is amazing. I will be ready to push on for another gold medal in Zurich."

Rutherford's gold was followed by more medal success for England as, in the absence of Jessica Ennis–Hill and Katarina Johnson–Thompson, Jessica Taylor took bronze in the heptathlon.

Tonight, the poster girl of Glasgow 2014, Eilidh Child, will aim to give Scotland the victory it craves perhaps above all others by winning 400 metres hurdles gold, although she will face serious competition from Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer.

And Kenya's 800m king, David Rudisha, bids for what looks a certain Commonwealth crown.

ENGLAND’S Max Whitlock won the all-round gymnastics title, amassing 90.631 across all six pieces of apparatus to finish ahead of Scotland's Dan Keatings (88.298) in silver medal position, with his England team–mate Nile Wilson (87.965) in bronze.