A biography for Greg Rutherfordhasn’t been written yet.
“I am pleased I went from fourth back into a medal position, but bronze is not good enough for me.”
“I don't think there are many long jumpers who can say they have jumped so hard that have lost their hearing.”
“Ultimately the clothing company is a large investment on my part, and I'm taking a huge gamble. But having a focus away from the track is good for you.”
“There are not many people around the world who can say, 'I get paid to jump into a sandpit.'”
“The type of IBS I am prone to is the constipation type, where I get trapped wind and can get sharp painful spasms in my intestines as well as having sluggish bowels.”
“I'm a very keen baker; I pride myself on my cakes. I go along the classic sponge line, but I like to jazz it up: I've made some psychedelic birthday cakes.”
“Running up a steep hill or up steps are fantastic ways of building explosive strength.”
“I'm very driven, and there are lots of things I can't do.”
“I was very into football in my early teens and spent six months with Aston Villa, but I never really got further than having trials. I'm also into ice hockey.”
“As a jumper, I try to defy gravity as long as I can. But no matter how far I jump, I'll always hit the earth eventually.”
“All I can do is turn up and compete.”
“I haven't actually checked my family tree, but Rutherford is a very old Scottish name, so I've probably got Scottish genes a few generations back.”
“I train six days a week.”
“I was quite lucky: although my dad worked a lot, whenever he was free, he would play sports with me and my brother, and I can't wait to do that with my child.”
“I would love to be an historian. I'm a bit of a history geek and love books and programmes on the subject.”
“Lolo Jones came up to me and said, 'Well done, Greg,' and I don't think I've ever spoken to her in my life.”
“I've never had a car sponsor or all the things that most others seemed to have had.”
“I've not received any major sponsorship deals or anything else.”
“The DNA showed I have a level of endurance in me which I never really realised, which makes sense.”
“Even though arguably I could have done much better at school, I'd decided at a young age that I was going to be a professional sportsman at some sport. And at that stage, there was a bit of luck: I was fortunate to meet the right people at the right time to get me to where I am now.”