Tokyo 2020 - ‘It’s not doom and gloom’ - Greg Rutherford, as Britain end track and field without an Olympic gold

ByRichard Newman

Published 07/08/2021 at 14:18 GMT

Team GB finished the athletics track and field programme with six medals, but for the first time in 25 years, they were not able to bring home a gold. Rutherford, the London 2012 long jump champion and Eurosport expert, says the Games have been a “success” in athletics, when injuries are taken into account. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.

For the first time since Atlanta 1996, Great Britain’s track and field athletes have ended an Olympics without a gold, but London 2012 long jump champion Greg Rutherford says it is no disaster.

Team GB finished with six medals overall at Tokyo 2020, despite losing many of their big hopes, as sprinters Dina Asher-Smith and Adam Gemili and heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson were all either recovering from injuries - or suffered new ones.

Laura Muir and Holly Bradshaw finally fulfilled their promise on a global stage with 1500m silver and pole vault bronze respectively. New stars emerged as Keely Hodgkinson won 800m silver and Josh Kerr claimed 1500m bronze. The men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams delivered again - with a silver and a bronze each.

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With all that considered, Rutherford - who has been watching all the action trackside for Eurosport - says a haul of six medals represents an impressive showing.

“The era of Mo Farah ended, that was where a lot of gold medals were coming from,” he said.

“There was a period of time where you thought myself, Jess (Ennis-Hill) and Mo, would always win medals, that was a great time. When anyone else won medals, it added to the party a little bit.

“We’ve come away with six medals, we lost Dina Asher-Smith in the 100 and 200m, we lost Adam Gemili. Conditions were really difficult for a lot of athletes.

“What’s also been difficult, is that the last 18 months, especially in the UK, they haven’t really been training much. Look at the Dutch, they got straight on it, they were in a training centre, they were able to train all the way through, it didn't happen in the UK, they couldn’t get to a track, they had to train in fields, lift bits of wood.

To come away with medals, I think that’s a success and I could see on most of their faces they were overall pleased with it. They're a young team, the young heads in there are going to go forward and win us plenty more medals.

• Britain's Kerr wins bronze as Ingebrigtsen breaks Olympic record for 1500m gold
• Muir wins brilliant silver in 1500m as Hassan’s triple bid ends
• Italy roar back to snatch gold from Britain in men’s 4x100m relay thriller

'He was reeled in like a fish' - Italy snatch men's 4x100m relay gold from GB

Going back through the past five Games, it would appear that Britain’s athletics performance is pretty much on par. Seven medals were claimed at Rio 2016, six at London 2012, eight during Beijing 2008, four in Athens in 2004 and six at Sydney 2000.

The only colour missing may be gold, but it could be argued that only the relay teams had a realistic chance of getting anywhere close to one aside from the injured star trio.

UK Sport has already announced and committed to funding for the Paris 2024 cycle, but decisions will then need to be made ahead of Los Angeles 2028.

“I think there will possibly be stresses and strain coming from above them, UK Sport possibly,” said Rutherford.

“During Covid, there’s a situation where it’s blurred lines slightly, we’re not entirely sure what the exact expectations are, so it’s difficult to say is a massive failure or not in their eyes.

I don’t see it as a failure, you take out the injuries, I think we could have had a very successful Olympic Games. It’s not doom and gloom as I think some people might think.

'What a performance!' - GB's Muir takes quite brilliant silver in 1500m

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