Rutherford promises more records in bid for 2010 success

[divingbrit]

British record holder Greg Rutherford has promised to go even further in 2010 but acknowledges he needs to add more medals to his resume.

Rutherford leapt to a personal best of 8.30 metres last season, erasing British rival Chris Tomlinson from the record books, and finishing fifth in the World Championship final in Berlin.

This year he'll be looking to upgrade his breakthrough silver at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg when the event is staged in Barcelona.

But he knows he'll need to make record breaking a habit if he's to challenge with the world's best and finally fulfil his promise.

"My aim for for this year is to jump a lot further than 8.30m," said Rutherford.

"It would be a nice feeling to be able to put the British record out of contention.

"Now I've done that distance, I can see a lot of technical changes coming. I feel I am going to put distances out there which I would like to think only I will be able to get to."

After banking a top-five finish in Berlin, Rutherford returned to the Lee Valley High Performance Centre, where he relocated last year from Milton Keynes.

And having moved to north London and teamed up with coach Dan Pfaff, he believes it's only a matter of time before he turns potential into prizes.

"I'm feeling really good about everything at the minute. I don't think I've ever felt as positive about the shape that I'm in," he added.

"I was really pleased with how 2009 went for me and when I look back on the World Championships I feel it was a real step forward for me.

"But then I felt it was a good time for me to move on and change coaches. I'm still a young guy but I felt it was the right time to make the move and I have no regrets about it at all.

"Working with Dan is absolutely fantastic. I'm really pushing myself on as an athlete in so many ways that I didn't used to do.

"And in that sense I am feeling really confident about the World Indoors in Doha and about the indoor season in general."

While Rutherford ousted Tomlinson in Berlin, he has been used to playing second fiddle to his British rival when it comes to indoor jumping, with Tomlinson claiming silver at the 2008 World Indoor Championships in Valencia.

But Rutherford believes his Berlin performance means he's in the right shape to return from March's World Indoor Championships in Qatar with something to declare.

"I feel like I am capable of going to Doha and getting a medal now because what happened in Berlin last summer," he added.

"Finishing fifth there has really made me think of myself as one of the best in the world, so I feel confident that I can turn that into indoor form."

morethanthegames.com.