IN recent weeks, the chip on Greg Rutherford’s shoulder has grown so heavy that, going into the World Championships, you feared it might weigh him down.

Assertions of under-appreciation from the public. Critiques directed towards UK Athletics over a perceived lack of support, not to mention their decision to replace the Union Flag with their brand name on his kit. Jibes in response to a London-based newspaper that, improbably, asserted he was a “nearly man” despite Olympic, Commonwealth and European golds secured inside three years.

If critics remain, they should be silent now. The 28-year-old became only the fifth Briton to complete the grand slam of major titles in Beijing, claiming a long jump victory at the World Championships that had previously eluded him and doing so in a manner that put his competitive supremacy beyond any reproach.

Eventually victorious due to a leap of 8.41 metres in the fourth round, Rutherford screamed defiantly into the night air. “All the other stuff that has been going on I managed to put at the back of my mind,” he revealed. “But if I didn't win, I would have taken a little bit of stick.”

Undoubtedly, the man from Milton Keynes profited from the early elimination of American Jeff Henderson, but he ended 21 centimetres ahead of the Australian silver medallist Fabrice Lapierre with Jianan Wang taking bronze.

This success is historical. It is no fluke. Rutherford, who recently built a jumping pit in his back garden, relished the manner in which he exorcised the demons of his visit here in 2008 when a kidney infection and the death of his grandfather left the Englishman bereft.

Waking up yesterday with a headache, he feared the worst but achieved what he rated as his best performance. "Obviously the stress of the Olympic final was massive, and that crowd in London, there will never be another like that. The flak I took afterwards was tough. At times you think, ‘Why am I doing this?’

"Ultimately, you have to answer your critics on the track, and I’m very much hoping 8.41 is acceptable to people. I don’t think that’s too bad. I’ll take that.”

Laura Muir was similarly content with fifth place in the 1500 metres final but the 22-year-old feels she has latitude to seek more.

Not quite as forceful in pushing herself to the fore as she has been this summer, the Glasgow University student was cast adrift when the medals were decided, with Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba affirming her supremacy following her recent world record, leaving Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon to edge out Dutch hope Sifan Hassan for silver.

The past few days have proven Muir can thrive on the grandest stage, however. There was no sign of the naivety of the past. “I left last year really frustrated as I knew I could run so much better than what I’d shown in championships, but it’s great to have come here and have done well," Muir said.

It will stand her, and her coach Andy Young, in solid stead in plotting a course towards the Rio Olympics. "This is the first time I’ve done three rounds, so to have done three and got through, shows my recovery plan for next year is good,” Muir noted. “It bodes well.”

Elsewhere, David Rudisha reclaimed his throne in the 800m final with the Kenyan digging deeply to repeat his 2011 triumph ahead of Poland’s European champion Adam Kszczot. Kenya’s Nicholas Bett, who failed even to reach the final at Glasgow 2014, picked up a surprise gold in the 400m hurdles with Cuba’s Denia Caballero claiming the women’s discus title.

Meanwhile, Eilidh Child wants to break her own Scottish record of 54.22 secs in this afternoon’s 400m hurdles final and let the chips fall where they may. The European champion came close to elimination in her semi-final and has not shown the form to threaten her rivals.

“It’s going to be a big ask to get amongst the medals,” she admitted. “I’m going to have a bad lane. But I’ll go out and run my own race and hopefully come away with a personal best.”

Britain’s Rabah Yousif goes in the 400m final, Holly Bradshaw competes for pole vault gold while Dinah Asher-Smith joins Margaret Adeoye and Bianca Williams in the 200m heats. And Chris O’Hare, who was 12th in Moscow two years ago, begins his quest overnight in the opening round of the 1500m with the Scot trusting in his credentials as a championship performer.

“Anything is possible, whether you’re glass half empty or glass half full-kind of person,” O'Hare said. “I could be sitting in the stands for the semi-final so I need to use my head and get through.”