Greg Rutherford's Gold Could Start a Revolution for School Athletics in UK

September 03, 2015 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

Manchester, UK – British long jump athlete Greg Rutherford has won gold at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing this week. The victory means he currently holds four top titles, with this recent win adding to his Olympic, Commonwealth and European gold medals. This adds him to a list with only four other British athletes to hold all four titles at the same time – Jonathan Edwards, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Daley Thompson complete the illustrious group.

Rutherford’s fourth round jump of 8.41 metres put him far ahead of his competition, Fabrice Lapierre of Australia and Jianan Wang of China. The 28-year-old has also become the first Briton to ever win a long jump medal at the World Athletics Championships, smashing his previous best of 5th place in the 2009 competition. As one of Britain’s most successful young athletes, Rutherford described his latest win as “my best ever performance”, completing the second longest jump of his life to secure gold.

After Greg Rutherford’s phenomenal achievement in holding the four most prestigious athletics titles for long jump, a surge in participation could take place throughout the UK. Team GB’s success at the London 2012 Olympics sparked a huge increase in the number of young people getting involved in sport, particularly athletics and cycling. The UK may see a similar increase in the popularity of long jump events at schools and local sports centres across the country.

James Dooley, director of sports at http://www.longjump.org.uk, suggests that this may happen. “After the 2012 Olympics we saw a rise in schools and local clubs looking to improve their sports pitches, athletics tracks and outdoor facilities,” comments Dooley. “We think there could be a similar effect where Greg Rutherford’s success at the World Championships will inspire young people to take part in a new sport.”

A recent report by ukactive Kids has stated that today’s young people are the ‘least active generation in history’ with only half of 7-year-olds meeting the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day. According to Long Jumps, many schools have reported there is little to no provision for long jump in lessons or extracurricular clubs; with facilities they do have being poor quality. With inspiration from high profile athletes like Greg Rutherford, it is hoped that UK schools could start to look at improving their athletics facilities, in particular long jump runways.

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