World Athletics Championships 2015: Greg Rutherford wins long jump gold in Beijing

Greg Rutherford has clinched gold in the long jump finals at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. The 28 year old recorded a huge 8.41m leap in his fourth jump to take control of the final and win Great Britain's third gold medal of the games.

Rutherford recorded a foul in first jump but eased the pressure after recording a huge 8.29m in his second to take the lead ahead of Chinese duo Jianan Wang and Gao Xinglong inside the Bird's Nest.

In the same venue where he suffered disappointment in 2008's championships, Rutherford had the chance to extend his lead in his third but was penalised for crossing the board.

But after American Jeff Henderson was eliminated following two consecutive fouls, the Briton extended his lead with a monster 8.41m leap, opening up a comfortable gap between himself and Jianan and Gao, who both recorded another foul each in their fourth round jumps.

Australian Fabrice Lapierre moved into second place ahead of the Chinese duo with an impressive jump of 8.20m. But Rutherford was confident enough to not to take his fifth jump and watched on as Lapierre and Wang fell short of his considerable lead. He adds world championship gold to his 2012 Olympic Games, 2014 European Championships and Commonwealth Games triumphs.

He joins fellow Brits Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah in winning gold in Beijing, with Farah hoping to add another in the 5000m later this week. His gold also moves Great Britain above Jamaica into second place in the medals table behind leaders Kenya.

"I'm a bit lost for words. What an incredible night. It's been unreal," he told BBC Sport. "My family and friends helped me build a long jump pit in the garden. It's unbelievable. This was my best ever performance."

When asked if today's performance was the best of his career, he added: "Absolutely. The stresses this year that I've had, I can't explain, it's been really tough at points but to come out and do that I'm over the moon."

Rutherford qualified for today's final with a leap of 8.25m.