Greg Rutherford in Manchester tribute

An evening of free, world-class athletics in the city centre looked unlikely on Tuesday morning after the bombing at the Manchester Arena, but the council and police gave the event the go-ahead later that day, a decision Rutherford strongly endorsed.

Speaking to Press Association Sport, the Olympic and world champion said: "After such a tragic and heinous event, I think it's important that everybody comes together and shows it's not going to stop people leading a normal life.

"That seems to be the overriding sense from everybody here. I think it's wonderful that it's still going ahead and I hope it will be a lovely tribute to those who lost their lives and those injured in the attack.

"I think it will be amazing to see the people come out and get behind the event, not just for the sport but to show they're not going to let the terrorists win."

The 30-year-old will be making his 2017 competitive debut in a temporary arena in Albert Square, the scene of Tuesday's emotional vigil for the 22 killed and more than 100 injured by the suicide bomber.

Australia's Olympic and world 100metres hurdles champion Sally Pearson has been in the city since Saturday night and was woken up on Tuesday morning to several frantic messages from home asking how she was.

Not understanding what these messages meant, Pearson turned on the TV and soon realised the enormity of what had happened only a kilometre from her hotel.

"Once we got outside and met people, we quickly got a sense of their spirit and resilience," Pearson told Press Association Sport.

"It's not about forgetting what happened but I think it's important to continue with the competition for the community, to stay upbeat and live in the moment.

"The council wanted to go ahead with it and I'm behind that decision and I'm happy to be here to support the city of Manchester."

Pearson's event, the last of the evening at 1920, will take place on a track laid on Deansgate, and her desire to put on a show for the public is matched by British sprinters Richard Kilty and Jonnie Peacock.

Kilty, who is targeting a new British record for the rarely run 150m distance, said: "It's absolutely horrific what happened and the main thing I'm here for is to perform for the people of Manchester.

"Hopefully, they can come out in numbers to support a great event and show they're not afraid of these cowardly attacks. It motivates me more to go out and compete."

Double Paralympic champion Peacock said: "It seems to have brought the whole city together, which is the opposite of what the terrorists want.

"I never thought this event would be cancelled and I didn't want that. In my opinion, we need to carry on as normal."

Now in its ninth year, the Great CityGames will be live on BBC2, providing the ideal platform for Manchester to show its strength and unity.

And there will be further evidence of that on Sunday when the city hosts the Great Manchester Run 10km and half marathon races. More than 35,000 are scheduled to take part, with organisers saying they had to turn away thousands of new applications this week.