Greg Rutherford has withdrawn from the IAAF World Indoor Champions in Birmingham in an attempt to retain his full fitness for the outdoor season in summer. The event, which starts on Friday, would have continued the Brits preparation for summer but he has decided after a poor performance in Glasgow on Sunday, to withdraw.
The Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth gold medallist said: “My performance from the British Championships to the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow at the weekend showed improvement but it was still not at the level I demand of myself. It has not been an easy decision but I have therefore chosen to withdraw from the World Indoor Championships. I am now going to take a few days to recover from Glasgow before resuming training as I prepare for a successful summer. I am committed to becoming the first long jumper to win three European titles in a row and will be training hard over the coming months to return to the track as fit as ever.”
Neil Black, the Performance Director at British Athletics was full of praise for the 31-year-old, despite the disappointing news: It has been fantastic to see Greg return to competition this indoor season and we have been impressed by the progress he has made. Unfortunately, that progress is not quite enough for him to be able to compete at the high standards he demands in Birmingham. Greg is a great role model and ambassador for the sport as demonstrated at the British Indoor Championships and Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow and we look forward to seeing him back fully fit in the summer.”
You can keep to date with the World Indoor Championships from the 1-4 March right here on the Sportsman.
Let's relive Greg Rutherford's career highlight below.
