Greg Rutherford has confirmed his intention to compete at the Beijing 2022 Olympics ©Getty Images

London 2012 long jump champion Greg Rutherford has revealed he has been training with the national bobsleigh team and is eyeing medal success at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

If he makes the team and the podium, he will be the first British athlete to win medals at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

The 34-year-old, who has no experience in the sport, said he was encouraged to try bobsleigh by two-time Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries, a former training partner of the Briton.

"I know most people believe it is impossible to go from never having attempted a sport to winning an Olympic medal in under a year, but I 100 per cent disagree," Rutherford told The Guardian.

"I'm coming back, and I intend to make history.

"During lockdown I started training again because I had nothing really to do.

"My body responded really well."

Rutherford will not be the first from an athletics background to try the sport and will follow Britain's sprinters James Dasaolu and Joel Fearon on the programme, who have both ran the 100 metres in under 10 seconds.

Two-time world indoor hurdles champion Lolo Jones claimed world two-woman gold earlier this year for the United States, following in the footsteps of former world champion sprinter and compatriot Lauryn Williams, an Olympic silver medallist in bobsleigh.

Lolo Jones and Kaillie Humphries won gold in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the 2021 World Championships ©Getty Images
Lolo Jones and Kaillie Humphries won gold in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the 2021 World Championships ©Getty Images

"I'm not doing this merely to turn up to finish 25th," added Rutherford.

"I intend to train incredibly hard, get myself on to the team, and then win a medal and if we get the right sled and have the perfect run, anything is possible, even gold."

Previously, Rutherford has tried skeleton for fun and said bobsleigh's risks do not concern him.

"I think most people consider the skeleton as being quite nuts," he said.

"So the fact I've done it and loved it puts me in good stead."

Rutherford will work with two-time bobsleigh Olympian Lamin Deen and coaches Steve Smith and John Herbert.

The former long jumper has a personal best of 10.26sec in the 100m.

Rutherford's greatest achievement was at the London 2012 Games, where he was one of three British Olympic gold medallists in an evening dubbed "Super Saturday" in athletics, alongside Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah.

He retired from athletics in 2018.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from February 4 to 20.