|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Milton Keynes, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club: England |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | A chest infection meant he missed the 2016 British Indoor Championships in Sheffield. (bbc.co.uk, 27 Feb 2016) A minor muscle tear forced him out of the 2016 Glasgow International Grand Prix in Scotland. (bbc.co.uk, 17 Feb 2016) A knee injury forced him to pull out of the 2014 Diamond League meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. (bbc.co.uk, 13 Jul 2014) He suffered a hamstring injury in July 2013 that bothered him for the rest of the year. (au.eurosport.com, 04 Dec 2013) He tore his hamstring at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Republic of Korea. (guardian.co.uk, 04 May 2012) He suffered from tonsillitis, kidney and lung infections ahead of the final at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (timesonline.co.uk, 06 Mar 2010) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (telegraph.co.uk, 27 Apr 2015) |
| Other sports | He spent six months training with English football club Aston Villa in his early teens, but did not progress any further. (dailymail.co.uk, 13 Apr 2012) |
| Famous relatives | His great-grandfather Jock Rutherford is the oldest player to have played for Arsenal Football Club in England. (thesun.co.uk, 19 Jun 2012) |
| Most influential person in career | His parents. (Athlete, 31 Jul 2008) |
| Hero / Idol | Cuban athlete Ivan Pedroso. (dailymail.co.uk, 20 Apr 2012) |
| Ambitions | To set up his own club. (mkweb.co.uk, 06 Jul 2015; theguardian.com, 25 Aug 2015) |
| Awards and honours | He was named the 2015 European Male Athlete of the Year by the European Athletics Federation. (european-athletics.org, 17 Oct 2015) He was named British Athletics Writer's Association [BAWA] Male Athlete of the Year in 2014. (bbc.co.uk, 21 Nov 2014) He was made Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in February 2013. (sportinglife.com, 28 Feb 2013) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Dan Pfaff [personal] |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He got involved in athletics at school at age 14. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | Great Britain |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Ruthers, Gregatron (Athlete, 31 Jul 2008) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Train as hard and as long as possible so your competitors have to be training harder to beat you." (Athlete, 31 Jul 2008) |
| Other information | CROWD SUPPORT HELPS WIN GOLD IN LONDON He said a lone voice in the crowd helped him capture a gold medal in the long jump at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. "The stadium went quiet for a split second and someone shouted, 'It's your time, Greg, take it.' Through all the noise I heard this one voice and I thought he's right, it is my time and then with a smile on my face I refocused my attention and jumped the 8.21." (bahighlife.com, 01 Oct 2012) HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT His victory at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, People's Republic of China made him the fifth British athlete to hold the Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles simultaneously. He followed Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards in achieving the feat. (theguardian.com, 25 Aug 2015) POTENTIAL WINTER OLYMPIAN In early 2014 he announced his desire to compete at an Olympic Winter Games in skeleton or bobsleigh. He had been encouraged by British skeleton athlete Shelley Rudman. "I'm serious about it, there is something about going down the ice head first that massively appeals to me. I genuinely want to try skeleton and bobsleigh. If I am good enough, my plan will be to continue through to the Rio Olympics and after 2016 either switch or spend my winters doing the new sport." (insidethegames.biz, 17 Feb 2014) MEDIA APPEARANCES He has appeared on a number of television shows in Britain, including 'Strictly Come Dancing', 'The Million Pound Drop Live' and 'Time Crashers'. (radiotimes.com, 02 Oct 2016; themillionpounddrop.com, 02 Oct 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | After joining the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club in England, he realised he was not reaching the times needed to compete in sprinting events. He then turned his attention to long jump. "Long jump found me rather than me finding it. I grew very tall very quickly, and when I hit 18 I was suddenly jumping distances that some of the other guys, the older and much more seasoned athletes around me, hadn't jumped in their lives. I'm never happy unless I win, and long jump was something that I could win at." |
| Footedness | Left |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
| Family | Partner Susie, son Milo [2014] |