Greg Rutherford confirms shoulder injury in dent to Winter Olympics debut hopes

Greg Rutherford‘s campaign to compete in the Winter Olympics has hit a snag after he fractured his shoulder.

The London 2012 long jump gold medallist had been preparing to make his four-man bobsleigh debut at a World Cup race in Innsbruck, Austria, on Sunday.

With the Beijing Winter Olympics beginning in February, Rutherford’s progress had been described as ‘astonishing’ by his team, but a persistent shoulder issue has flared up in training, meaning the 35-year-old will be sidelined.

Greg Rutherford has confirmed a shoulder injury has sidelined him ahead of a bobsleigh meet

The former long jumper is looking to compete for Team GB in the bobsleigh event

The early diagnosis is that he will only be out for a matter of weeks, albeit at a crucial point in his conversion to a new sport.

He wrote on Instagram: ‘A little bit of frustrating news. I am sadly not competing this weekend.

‘Something in my shoulder has been giving me a bit of jip for a little while now and on Saturday it came to a bit of a crescendo and I’m now having to have it looked at and sorted.

‘It’s really annoying, it means I have to wait now to make my debut in the sled in competition.

‘Got to get on top of these things, because fundamentally I’m aiming to go to an Olympic Games. I have to get it fixed, I have to get it right.’

Rutherford’s hopes of making the Winter Olympics have been dented by a shoulder injury

Rutherford has made excellent progress since converting from the long jump to his new sport