SAN DIEGO (USA): USATF has declared that Greg Rutherford’s new British long jump record of 851 is valid, despite claims by rival Chris Tomlinson, based on video evidence, that the jump was in fact a foul, report the BBC. Tomlinson, who had shared the British record of 835 with Rutherford said, “Lots of people have been sending me pictures of Greg’s jump and what they show is that Greg’s foot is not marginally over the plasticine but significantly over.” Rutherford insisted that the record should stand and that it was set at an official meet; “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.” The meet at the Olympic Training Centre in San Diego was sanctioned by USATF through the USATF Southern California Association. UK Athletics will decide later in May whether to ratify the record. A UK Athletics spokeswoman said that decision would be taken by its Technical Advisory Group at its meeting in two weeks’ time based on the paperwork it receives from the Chula Vista meeting. She said it was standard procedure for any new record to be examined by the group before being officially sanctioned. Informs The Telegraph.
