Greg Rutherford joined one of the most exclusive clubs in British sport on Tuesday when the long jumper added the World Championship gold to his Olympic, European and Commonwealth titles.
It's some feat for the 28-year-old, who likes to describe himself as the "Ginger one from Super Saturday". A reference to the day just over three years ago when Rutherford, Jessica Ennis (as she was back then) and Mo Farah all won Olympic gold medals in the space of a couple of hours in the London Games.
Most of the headlines, however, on that unforgettable evening were given to the glamorous Ennis and the enigmatic Farah, while Rutherford was left to an extent on the sidelines. There were even some, recalls The Guardian, who muttered that Rutherford's Olympic title was a "fluke" because of the paucity of the opposition.
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Yet in the last three years Rutherford has dominated his discipline, adding European and Commonwealth gold medals, and then yesterday in Beijing making it an historic quartet by outjumping his rivals in the Bird's Nest stadium.
In doing so Rutherford joined decathlete Daley Thompson, sprinter Linford Christie, hurdler Sally Gunnell and triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards as the only British athletes to have held the illustrious four titles at the same time.
He did it in style, too, jumping 8.41m, further than he'd managed in his three previous title victories, and afterwards Rutherford couldn't resist a dig at those critics who have said he's the best of a mediocre generation of long-jumpers. "I am hoping 8.41m is acceptable for people this time," said a wry Rutherford. "The last time I wasn't jumping far enough. I am pretty sure that is a stadium record here. So I will take that. Maybe I am not too bad a long jumper?”
He was certainly better than his nearest rivals as the Bird's Nest fast runway again threw jumpers off their stride with a series of competitors no-jumping and one, the USA's Mike Hartfield, failing to land single legitimate jump. The 2013 world champion, Aleksandr Menkov, never staged a serious defence of his title with a very average 8.02m his only jump of note.
Rutherford's best effort of 8.41m was 17 cm further than Australian Fabrice Lapierre, who took the silver, while China's Jianan Wang won bronze with a jump of 8.18m.
Rutherford's achievement - with the second longest jump of his career - was all the more remarkable as he became the first Briton to win a long jump medal at a World Championships. "I'm a bit lost for words, what an incredible night!" exclaimed Rutherford, who revealed that he woke up yesterday morning suffering from the intense humidity of the previous day's qualification.
"I felt a bit groggy while I was warming up but the thing I love is major championships, I love stadiums," said the Briton. "I got out there and instantly got pumped up again and couldn't wait to get going. Adrenaline is an incredible thing. And here I am. I have finally won a world title. Finally I get what I wanted."
