Greg Rutherford will now fine tune his preparations for next month’s World Championships in his back garden after wrapping up his third Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on Thursday night.
The 28-year-old bounced back from the disappointment of finishing third at last weekend’s Anniversary Games by returning to the top spot of the podium.
Jumping in wet conditions, Rutherford took the lead from the outset with 7.94m before then improving that on his second jump with 8.34m – just one cm short of his season’s best set at the Birmingham Diamond League in June.
A further distance of 8.32m followed before he chose to sit out the final two rounds, with victory secured after Marquis Dendy could only finish with a best of 8.09m in second.
His next challenge will be the World Championships in Beijing next month with Rutherford keeping his fingers crossed for favourable weather in which to train on his ready-made long jump pit at home.
“I have no further competitions before the World Championships and will be training in my back garden,” said Rutherford, who will bid to complete a clean sweep of major outdoor titles at the World Championships.
“My father has constructed a pit and the final layer will be going on tomorrow. Let’s hope the British summer time does not spoil the practice.
“The Diamond League competitions have been very important for me this year and I’m pleased with my third win.
“I am focused on the World Championships and hope to become the fifth British athlete to hold world, Commonwealth and European titles [after Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards]. It’s going to be tough, with Dendy and Henderson [Jeff Henderson, the US jumper who tops the 2015 world list with 8.54m] jumping really well at the moment.”
Elsewhere, Lynsey Sharp had to settle for second in the women’s 800m after being pipped at the death by fast finishing Renelle Lamote, while in the male equivalent Michael Rimmer was third.
European 400m champion Martyn Rooney clocked a season’s best of 45.41 for third, one place ahead of fellow Brit Rabah Yousif.
Running in only her second 200m race of 2015, Jodie Williams also secured a top-three placing, with British 400m champion Anyika Onuora clocking a season’s best 23.19 seconds in fourth.
There was a sixth place for European 400m hurdles champion Eilidh Child, triple jumper Sinead Gutzmore was sixth while former European junior 400m champion Chris Clarke was sixth over 200m.
While in the field, Olympic high jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz continued his comeback after injury with eighth place – his clearance of 2.25 his second best performance of the summer.
© Sportsbeat 2015