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Greg Rutherford avoids upset in Rio

Greg Rutherford avoids upset in Rio
© BBC
Greg Rutherford leaves it to the last jump to qualify for the long jump final at the Rio Olympics.

Team GB's Greg Rutherford left it to the last attempt to ensure his place in the long jump final at the Rio Olympics tonight.

The reigning champion fouled on his first two attempts in the qualifier to set up a nervy finish at the Olympic Stadium.

In his first attempt, Rutherford was 10cm over the wood and fared little better on his second stab, going 3cm over, much to his frustration.

The 29-year-old made certain of his position at the next stage with the final jump, however, recording a distance of 7.90m, 25cm short of the automatic qualification threshold but good enough to progress with a 10th-place finish overall.

China's Wang Jianan posted the best score of the day, automatically qualifying with a jump of 8.24m, closely followed by the USA's Jeff Henderson on 8.20m.

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Neil Wilkes
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