London long jump champ Rutherford targets winter Games

British Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford wants to follow his London 2012 success by becoming only the second athlete to be crowned a champion in two different sports at both the Summer and Winter Games. Rutherford is considering competing in either the bobsleigh or skeleton events at the Winter Games in Pyeonchang, South Korea, in four years' time. However, in an interview on the website of Britain's Guardian newspaper on Friday, Rutherford stressed he wanted to continue as a long jumper as well. "I am serious about it," 27-year-old Rutherford told the Guardian. "There is something about going down the ice head first that massively appeals to me. I genuinely want to try skeleton and bobsleigh. I might be awful or I might absolutely brick it (be scared), but it's something I'm really keen to do." Rutherford, who has a personal best of 10.26 seconds for the 100 metres, added: "Speed is the one thing I am incredible fortunate to be blessed with. So there is no reason why I can't do well. "If I am able to compete in the Winter Olympics then I will go there to win. I have achieved the major goal in my sport, which is winning the Olympic title, and now I want other challenges." The sprinter Craig Pickering moved to the four-man bobsleigh in 2012 and was due to compete for Britain in Sochi before injury, while Lolo Jones, who finished fourth in the 100m hurdles at London 2012, will compete for the US bobsleigh team. Jones' fellow American Lauryn Williams, the 100m silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will also compete in Sochi in the bobsleigh. Only Eddie Eagan of the United States has won gold medals in both summer and winter Olympics in different events, taking the light-heavyweight boxing title at the 1920 Antwerp Games and, 12 years later, being a member of the victorious four-man bobsleigh team in Lake Placid. Source: AFP