Britain’s Rutherford pulls out of world indoor championships

LONDON: Britain’s former Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford on Wednesday withdrew from the world indoor championships in Birmingham as he battles to regain full fitness following injury.

Rutherford, who has also won world, European and Commonwealth golds, was given a host nation place for the event after winning the British indoor title and subsequently competed in the indoor grand prix in Glasgow on Sunday.

However, the 31-year-old has decided not to take part at the worlds in order to retain full fitness in time for the outdoor season.“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,” said Rutherford, who competed just three times in 2017 and underwent groin and ankle surgery.

“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.”