When MF first interviewed Greg Rutherford just over a year after he won silver at the 2006 European championships, he told us he would one day win Olympic gold. His first shot at glory came at Beijing 2008, but after an impressive qualifying leap he finished tenth in the final.
During the next Olympic cycle, Rutherford became more familiar with the treatment table than with medal podiums, and it looked as though his potential may never be realised.
But despite these setbacks, when we spoke to him a couple of months before London 2012, he hadn’t lost his ambition or self-belief. ‘No one puts as much pressure on me as I do,’ he said. ‘I’ve always aimed as high as I possibly can, whether it’s a Diamond League competition or the Olympic Games. To be Olympic champion you have to set your sights very high and pile the pressure on.’
The positive attitude worked and he won gold on Super Saturday to claim his gold. MF caught up with him during winter training to discover the gym moves that power his superhuman jumps.
Rutherford's full training video can be viewed in the March 2013 Men's Fitness interactive issue.
