LONDON: England’s 2012 Olympic champion Greg Rutherford will defend his Commonwealth Games long jump title at next year’s edition in the Gold Coast.
The 30-year-old missed out on repeating his 2012 heroics at the same stadium in London for this year’s world championships because of injury.Rutherford is the star name among the England line-up with distance legend Mo Farah now retired from track duty.
However he will have the likes of Adam Gemili, who won a memorable 4x100m relay gold at the world championships edging out the United States, as a potential headline grabber.Gemili will bid to improve on his two silvers in the 2014 Games in Glasgow, finishing second in the 100m individual event and then in the relay.
“It’s such a proud moment for me to be selected to compete at my second Commonwealth Games,” Gemili said in a statement.“Winning two silver medals in Glasgow 2014 was an incredible experience for me and I’m really excited to get back out there.
“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was a fantastic event. It was the first time I won a senior international medal so it’s great to be going back to where it all started,” added the 24-year-old.
The athletics team is 75 strong — Team England overall is sending a squad of 600 athletes and staff their largest ever and which will compete in 18 sports including 38 para medal events.
“The team is a real blend of experience and youth, featuring a number of athletes who performed well at last summer’s IAAF World Championships, as well as some who are making their senior international championships debuts,” said Team England Athletics chief Martin Rush.
“With just 75 places available, selection was always going to be a difficult task given the number of high-performing English athletes, but we are happy that we are taking a team that will be ready to perform at their best in Australia.”