I won long jump gold medal and have faster 100m time than Mondo Duplantis – and I didn't train
09/12/2024 12:07 PM
Greg Rutherford is best known for his long jump heroics but the Olympian has now revealed a hidden talent.
The 37-year-old won gold at the London 2012 games, jumping a staggering 8.31 metres – a feat that landed him an MBE 12 months later.
Rutherford was an interested spectator at this summer's Paris Olympics as the new generation of athletes battle for supremacy on track and field.
A changing of the guard in personnel has gone hand in hand with a more modern and creative way of competing.
That has seen cross-discipline races, pitting unlikely clashes in custom-made events to put themselves and the sport in the spotlight.
One of those was pole vault record breaker and gold medal winner Mondo Duplantis beating trained sprinter Karsten Warholm in a 100m race with a time of 10.37.
One of those clambering for more crossovers is British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr who won a silver medal in the 1500m in Paris.
Kerr hopes to see athletes tested in different disciplines, a notion echoed by Rutherford who also revealed his own party trick.
"I 100 percent agree," Rutherford told talkSPORT when asked whether athletes should aim to push the boundaries. "Mondo Duplantis is the pole vault world-record holder. I’m very happy that I can still claim I've got a faster 100m time than him.
"That's the only thing that's going to be better than somebody that good.
"I came from a sprinting background before I went into long jump. From that point of view, I think it's a brilliant way of showcasing the different talents and abilities of the different athletes.
"So I'm all for it."
Pressed on whether he would fancy his chances in a distance race, Rutherford joked: "I wouldn't say I'd do too well at distance, I used to run 45 metres and jump into a sand pit!
"I noticed recently that Fred Kurley, one of the 100m medalists, called out Matthew Hudson-Smith, the British 400m runner to do a 300m race.
"Things like this, you've got to meet in the middle and see who comes out on top.
"It's a great way of just showcasing the sport a bit more. We need more eyes on Olympic sports, track and field in particular, events like that are exciting for people."
He then clarified his 100m record is 10.26, adding in that he did that without training.
Meanwhile, Kerr made history by smashing the 5th Avenue Mile record in New York City last weekend.
The record, set by Sydney Maree in 1981 at a time of 3:47.52 was eclipsed by Kerr who completed the race in 3:44.3 to defend the title he won 12 months ago.
"I said to the meet director beforehand, I took Sydney Maree's NCAA (1500m) record off him in 2018 when I was running for the University of New Mexico," Kerr said. "I know how hard that was when that was the time.
"It was a nice, nostalgic moment trying to go after his record today. He's one of the most successful 1500m runners in the world's history. Those are the kind of times I'm going after."
