Olympic long jump gold medal winner Greg Rutherford 'risking permanent hearing loss'
Tuesday 5 July 2016 23:14, UK
Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has claimed he is risking permanent hearing loss in his left ear by continuing to compete.
The 29-year-old revealed the whiplash injury he suffered in his last competition - the Birmingham Diamond League a month ago - had caused a severe inner ear condition.
And he admitted that were it not Olympic year, with the chance in Rio to defend the title he won at London 2012, he would likely be taking time away from the sport to get the problem fixed.
Rutherford said there was a one in four chance the problem, called cochlea hydrops, would become a life-long affliction.
He also revealed he had been hospitalised with appendicitis in April and accepted he did not know how the ear problem would affect his jumping ahead of his comeback at the European Championships in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
"I knew I shouldn't have jumped in Birmingham because I felt really stiff," said Rutherford.
"If the room falls silent for a moment, all I hear is loud white noise, so it's been a struggle to sleep. I've gone from hearing in stereo to mono.
"It's odd because during your career, you work to put yourself in peak physical condition, but then you bear the brunt of it for the rest of your life, but I'll just have to take that risk.
"I don't think there are many long jumpers who can say they have jumped so hard that have lost their hearing, so I've broken new ground there.
"Hopefully it will come back, but there's a one in four chance it never will fully recover, according to the doctor.
"It's quite scary to hear that, because you always get told there's a one in 20,000 chance or a one in a million chance.
"I hope it won't affect my jumping, but it's certainly not fun. It does bring you down. If it wasn't Olympic year, I would quite possibly be taking some time out to get it sorted. But I like winning medals."
Rutherford also explained how he has also had to recover from appendicitis during a difficult year for the Milton Keynes-based athlete.
I don't think there are many long jumpers who can say they have jumped so hard that have lost their hearing, so I've broken new ground there.
"I woke up with chronic pain in my stomach and that then progressed," he added.
"It was probably the worst pain I have ever had in my life. It was two weeks before I jumped 8.30 metres in Long Beach [on April 16], so it doesn't seem to have affected me too much.
"I went to the hospital and before anyone had even examined me, five different people had asked for money. They were quoting 20,000 US dollars to stay overnight, but I'm not sure if that was even necessary so I just had antibiotics.
"Luckily it went away and there's nothing to suggest it will be a recurring problem."
Rutherford, whose nine-competition winning streak was ended last time out in Birmingham, will be hoping for less drama when he returns to the runway.
