Greg Rutherford Picks Up MBE
1 March 2013, 11:12 | Updated: 1 March 2013, 11:33
London 2012 long jump champion Greg Rutherford said he was more nervous about picking up his MBE from the Queen than competing in the Olympic final.
With training going so well and his confidence bolstered by his Olympic title, Rutherford, 26, says he may also vie for a spot in the 4x100m relay team.
For now he is still very excited about collecting his MBE at Buckingham Palace, he said.
"Every time I step out on to the runway, I have done it thousands of times before and I know what I have to do. There is obviously the pressure of the event,'' he said. "This is very, very different, you are meeting the most famous person in the world at the most iconic building in the world. You are surrounded by dignitaries and people who have done incredible things. I did not want to say the wrong thing, trip over or look like a real doughnut. I was really on edge.''
Rutherford's London 2012 title was one of Britain's trio of golds - alongside Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah - within the space of an hour on Super Saturday at the Olympic Stadium.
During his MBE presentation the Queen spoke to him about the Olympics, how it had been a great summer and that track and field had its profile changed, "which is good background knowledge from her'', Rutherford said.
"I had a chat with the Queen - that does not happen every day. It is pretty immense.''
Rutherford, said he is training "really well'' ahead of two long jump competitions in the coming weeks in Australia.
Competing in the 100m in which his personal best time is 10.26 seconds is a possibility in the future, he said.
"I want to be in the relay. I want to run the 100m. All being well and good because there are some great guys like Adam Gemili coming through, it is going to be very tough. I would like to think that with the right preparation it could happen. I have run relatively fast in the past so if I can up my game a little bit and be a bit fitter and stronger maybe it could happen.''
He recalls that his only medal at the English schools championship was while running third leg in the relay.
The attraction of the relay is that it would potentially add something positive to his work as a long jumper, he contends.
Rutherford says he needs to improve his technique for the long jump and there are some "bigger changes which could take a couple of years to come in to effect''.
Rutherford said: "I am predominantly a long jumper and always will be. It would not be so much stress about the one thing all the time and I think it also might add a little bit of fun. I started off as a sprinter and I would like to see if I can still do something with it.''
Rutherford said that his confidence has been bolstered by his Olympic title.
He said: "The one big difference now after the Olympics is that the mindset has shifted. Confidence-wise you feel much better. You turn up to the track but you do not feel like you have a point to prove any more. It can be really tough when most of your career people are saying 'You could do it' but you never will because you are injured or something goes wrong. Now it has finally happened, I feel less pressure and training is going better.''