Let the Games begin!

Athletes Greg Rutherford, Morgan Lake and Jake Wightman tell us about taking part in the Olympics

- AMY JONES AND SHELLEY SPADONI

Now that Wimbledon and the Euros are done and dusted, the next big event in the sporting calendar will be the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, which kick off on 26 July. Ahead of the Opening Ceremony, we caught up with two of Team GB’s athletes who are going for gold — high jumper Morgan Lake and middle-distance runner Jake Wightman — as well as Greg Rutherford, who memorably clinched a long jump gold medal at London 2012 on Super Saturday.

The three sports stars are part of a cast of Olympians and athletics legends featured in the first episode of Channel 4 documentary Path To Paris: The Hunt For Gold.

The programme follows the athletes as they prepare for the huge challenge that is the Olympic Games and offers a behind-the-scenes look at everything from training sessions, to their home lives and relationships with their respective coaches.

Morgan, 27, is one of Britain’s high hopes for the Games — she won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and placed fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She was once coached by her father, former triple jump champion Eldon.

And Jake, 30, who took home 1500m gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, shares something in common with Morgan — his dad is his coach, something he admits becomes “harder with age”.

While Greg, 37, who retired from athletics in 2018, appears in the documentary to offer his wise words to the competitors, advising, “don’t do anything weird or exotic”.

With the Games just days away, they tell us all about their paths to Paris…

Hi, Greg! What advice would you give to this year’s crop of Olympians?