Greg Rutherford

It's all about proving it on the track and proving to people that have different views wrong.

I have been in discussions with the BBC regarding my involvement with SPOTY after hearing what I believe to be very outdated and derogatory comments from a fellow SPOTY nominee.

I live in a beautiful village in the middle of the countryside, and being able to disappear off on my bike for a couple of hours two or three times a week is a wonderful way to relax.

There's definitely football in the blood, but my body made my decision for me that I was going to be an Olympic athlete instead.

I thought I was going to jump further than that, but I don't care - I'm Olympic champion.

Ultimately, I'm enjoying what I'm doing.

I'm very driven, and there are lots of things I can't do.

To put up with me, you have to be patient.

I am the Olympic, World, Commonwealth, and European champion now, and I hope that's enough for people to accept that I am a half-decent British athlete.

I'm never happy to settle.

My dad is a builder, and my mum's a nurse. They're just very normal people.

I dabbled in football myself until the age of 14, but I didn't have as much love for the sport as I did track and field. I would never have been good enough to take it to the highest level.