Greg Rutherford admitted that breaking the British long jump record had left him in intense pain. Photograph: Ian Macnicol/AFP/Getty Images
There is a pained awe in Greg Rutherford's voice as he explains how he has been "absolutely destroyed" since smashing the British long jump record with a leap of 8.51m. "It takes a hell of a lot out of your body," he sighs. "It shuts down. I felt an achiness for three days, which was incredibly intense."
But pain is temporary, pride is forever and now, for the first time, Britain's Olympic long jump champion feels able to reflect on how he feared for his career after rupturing a hamstring in Paris last July.
"It was pretty bleak," he says. "I questioned my body, whether I would be able to do it because of all the load when you jump. If you have a major injury, it's always in your back of your mind. You think: am I still going to be able to do this?
"Even during the competition on Thursday, when I saw everyone jumping really far at the start, I questioned myself and wondered if I could do it after two fouls," he admits. "It was a worry. Then I managed to get a decent jump in before the record jump. And as soon as 8.51m came up, it was pure elation."
Now Rutherford has set his sights on three new targets – a leap of 8.66m, which would put him into the top 10 long jumpers in history, and winning the Commonwealth and European titles this year.
"I first want to get myself over 28 feet, which is 8.54m, which gets me into a relatively elite club," he says. "But I'd really love to end my career as an all-time top-10 jumper, which means leaping 8.66m. That would be a massive feat. These distances are going to put me into contention to win multiple majors. It would be fantastic to walk away with two titles in one year."
There have been internet rumours that Rutherford's great leap forward may be deemed illegal because it took place at a small meeting in San Diego and he may have strayed over the board. However, a US track and field spokeswoman told the Guardian such reports were incorrect. "It was USATF sanctioned and used USATF officials," she said. "Thus all marks are verified and legal."
Rutherford is also puzzled that his record has been questioned on the basis of grainy YouTube footage. "All the righti's were dotted and t's crossed," he stresses. "Ultimately, I wouldn't do it if it was not an official competition because the risk of jumping well and it not being official would absolutely gut me."
Rutherford flies back to the UK on Tuesday and will next compete at the GreatCity Games in Manchester on 17 May – a meeting that excites him more than most. "To be honest, I can see street athletics becoming the future of track and field," he says. "It's such a great concept. Hopefully we'll have another fantastic day and the crowds will get out in force."
In the meantime Rutherford has a more pressing concern. On Thursday he not only launches his own clothing line, GRavity, but will be responsible for sending out the orders, too.
"It's pretty stressful to be honest," he admits. "It's just going to be an online shop and basically I'll be processing, packing and sending it myself. Hopefully people will like it and it will help fund me."
Isn't it a bit odd that someone of his status is doing the grunt work? "I'd never shy away from getting stuck in and, ultimately, if you want to be successful you have to do that," he says. "Hopefully I won't be making too many mistakes – I don't want to be sending out extra larges when people want a small."
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