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Olympic champions Rutherford and Felix "excited" at returning to Beijing's Bird's Nest

Xinhua, June 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Olympic champions Greg Rutherford and Allyson Felix are both excited on Saturday when they talk about going back to Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium at this year's World Athletics Championships.

Both hope to erase the unpleasant memories at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and win gold medals in their favorite events.

Rutherford, then 21, finished a distant 10th seven years ago in the men's long jump while Felix took silver in the women's 200m event.

The Englishman recovered from that defeat and went on to win the gold medal in London four years later, becoming the first Briton in 48 years to win gold in the long jump.

"Beijing was a difficult time for me," Rutherford told Xinhua at a press conference ahead of the IAAF Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday. "I just suffered a loss of a family member. I was in an emotional state at that time."

Rutherford's great-grandfather, who played for Newcastle United and Arsenal and won League Championship and FA Cup winners' medals, died just before he flew to Beijing.

"But it (the Bird's Nest) was a fantastic track, a fantastic stadium. For me I think it was a great place to jump. So I am very excited to get back to jump again," he said.

It was also a similar story for American Felix, who took the 200m gold plus two relay titles in London.

"I am definitely very excited to go back," Felix said. "For me it was not pleasant memories in 2008. So I am very excited to go back to the stadium to have a different outcome this time."

Felix, who also won the 200m silver in the 2004 Athens Olympics, said a second silver in Beijing finally became a huge motivation for her to win a gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

She is one of the world's most successful women's sprinter, winning four Olympic gold medals and eight world champions in 200m and relays.

The World Championships will be held in the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing from August 22-30. Endi