Olympics Rio 2016: Greg Rutherford believes Super Saturday II will be box office gold again
BySportsbeat
Updated 12/08/2016 at 06:35 GMT
Greg Rutherford is predicting that Super Saturday II is going to be a sequel worth tuning in for when Team GB head to Rio's Olympic Stadium.
Greg Rutherford slams ‘terrible’ and ‘ridiculous’ British kit minus flag
Image credit: Reuters
Rutherford was part of that famous trifecta at London 2012 when his long jump gold, coupled with heptathlon and 10,000m success for Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah respectively, delivered three golds in a frantic 44-minute spell.
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Britain's Greg Rutherford holds the Union Flag after winning the gold in the men's long jump final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium (Reuters)
Image credit: Reuters
Rio's timetable sets up the potential for a repeat performance. Rutherford and Ennis-Hill start their competitions tomorrow, while Farah will start his campaign on Saturday.
"It's very, very possible," said Rutherford. "We have all come here to win. It would be another momentous occasion in British athletics history.
"We've all worked really hard to get here, I'm in very good shape myself, and I believe the other two are in fantastic shape too from what I've heard.
"We don't get to see each other very often, as Jess is in Sheffield, Mo is in Oregon, and I'm out in Phoenix but we've all known each other for very long time, and its a very friendly thing between us."
Rutherford's success was considered the surprise that night - Ennis-Hill and Farah both arriving as red-hot favourites for gold.
But since then he's swept all the major athletics titles - with golds at the World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games, a repeat only previously achieved by British legends Daley Thompson, Sally Gunnell, Jonathan Edwards and Linford Christie.
"People have said if I'd won another night I might have got more publicity but I have no regrets on anything on how it played out," he added.
"If it wasn't for the other two then it wouldn't have been Super Saturday, and the last four years have been fantastic for all of us.
"On Saturday we are hoping to replicate that and that would be very special."
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From L to R, Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis, Dani King, Jo Rowsell, Laura Trott
Image credit: Reuters
Athletics competitions start today with much attention on that Super Saturday threesome, but Rutherford claims others will step from the shadow and surprise, just as he did four years ago.
"When you look at the strength in depth we now have within the team, we've got youngsters coming through who are doing incredible things and old hands who are still in there," he said.
"I think as a mixture as a team it's one of the best I've been involved with and there are a lot of medal hopes we have got out there."
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