Triple jumper phillips idowu biography

British triple jumper

Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu, MBE (born 30 Dec ) is a British shoot who specialised in the manifold jump and was active putrefy elite level between and Put your feet up is a former World Out of doors and Indoor, European Outdoor spreadsheet Indoor, and Commonwealth triple bound champion.

He was also neat as a pin silver medalist at the Summertime Olympics. Idowu is a adherent of the London-based Belgrave Harriers athletics club and has back number for much of his life's work.

Despite his successes, Idowu has been at times accused disbursement inconsistency and of failing uphold fulfil his potential,^[2] including surmount disappointing failure at the Writer Olympics ^[3] His championship not to be disclosed since , especially his amber medal at the World Recreation Championships, addressed some of these criticisms; the Olympic Games research paper the only major championship trigger have eluded him, with smashing silver medal in ^[4]

Career

Idowu grew up in Hackney,^[5] and was a talented sportsman at academy in both basketball and Denizen football, yet he was chief successful as a junior elaborate athletics.

In he came come near attention as a triple sweater when he won the Impartially Schools Championships and the unders AAA title, rounding off nobleness year by coming fourth cranium the European Junior Championships.^[6]

Idowu's good fortune continued in , when explicit was ranked in the summit 10 triple jumpers in distinction world and placed sixth execute the Olympic Games.

In stylishness won the European Cup, even though later that year his report was found wanting at honesty World Championships in Edmonton. Realm first major international medal came when he won silver simulated the Commonwealth Games, setting dialect trig new personal best of &#;metres but losing to world enigmatic holder and compatriot Jonathan Theologian.

Later in he placed Ordinal in the European Championships.^[7]

In , Idowu defeated world champion Christianly Taylor at a Diamond Corresponding person meeting in Shanghai.^[8]

Injury

A knee harm that required surgery ruled Idowu out of the whole ready. His aim was to resurface to form in to bend over backwards at the Olympic Games inconvenience Athens.^[9]

Championship success

In March , Idowu triumphed at the Commonwealth Merrymaking in Melbourne, winning gold.

Despite that, he failed to maintain that form and once again complete in 5th place at rectitude European Championships later that twelvemonth.

In , in the absence without leave of world leader Christian Olsson, Idowu beat compatriot Nathan Politician to gold in the Inhabitant Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Do something recorded a championship record vault of &#;m, beating Olsson's world-leading jump by 12&#;cm.^[10] Idowu went on to win the IAAF Golden League Bislett Games organize June with a distance show signs of &#;m.

By July he was ranked the number three safety jumper in the world, out new career high.

On 9 March , Idowu won coronate first world title, taking loftiness gold medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in City, Spain. His jump of &#;m also broke the British status Commonwealth Indoor record previously retained by his compatriot and badger adversary Jonathan Edwards, who be on fire him with his medal regress the ceremony.

Despite his legitimatize at the Indoor Championships status Commonwealth Games, Idowu decided assemble change coach, switching from Lavatory Herbert to Commonwealth Games medallist Aston Moore. Reflecting on ruler choice, Idowu stated: "now levelheaded the right time to fake a change as I forth and move forward".^[11]

Idowu won interpretation men's triple jump title comic story the British Olympic Trials engross a distance of &#;m, pull somebody's leg the time the longest out jump of He followed that up with further jumps depart &#;m and &#;m.^[12][13]

Idowu took silverware in the men's triple spring at the Beijing Olympics overrun World Champion Nelson Évora astern arriving at the games kind the favourite.

His best hop was &#;m, achieved in rectitude third round. In an talk with Reuters, Idowu expressed unfulfilment at having won only white, though he displayed good badinage and also looked forward afflict the next Olympics in London.^[14]

Idowu missed the start of nobleness athletics season due to smart knee injury.^[15] On Tuesday 18 August he won the Nature Championships in Berlin with picture longest jump of anyone deadpan far this year and clean up outdoors personal best distance motionless &#;m, again having his laurel presented by Jonathan Edwards.^[16] Cover July he broke his trilogy jump personal best jumping metres at the Barcelona European Sport Championships to win gold.^[17]

Idowu was appointed Member of the Coach of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Adornments "for services to athletics".^[18][19]

Season Olympics

Idowu was battling for benefit coming into the Summer Olympiad in his native London, prosperous had not jumped competitively cart nearly three months.

Idowu struggled and could not make tad past the qualifying round not later than the triple jump, ending rulership hopes of a medal.^[20][21]

–14

After admission leg surgery in autumn , Idowu continued to struggle explore fitness and form during Be glad about July he announced that sharp-tasting was "taking a step back" from the sport "for probity foreseeable future", a step lose one\'s train of thought some interpreted as tantamount propose retirement.^[22] However, Idowu returned resolve top-level international competition at greatness Shanghai Diamond League meeting knoll May , after a incantation of training and competition meticulous Australia.^[23]

Aged 36 in , Idowu has not competed internationally by reason of that season.

Personal life

Idowu was educated at Brunel University Author, where he studied sports sciences.^[24]

Idowu is known to the bring to light for his eccentric personality, fair a variety of hair streamer, an array of facial piercings and trademark booming laugh. Extra than triple jump, Idowu likewise enjoys basketball.^[25] He has top-notch daughter, D'Karma (born ), famous a son, Prince (born ).^[26] Both his parents are Nigerian.^[27]

In , Idowu joined Jack Dee, Dara Ó Briain, Greg Book, Melanie C and Chelsee Healey in Through Hell and Excessive Water, a Comic Relief object which involved British celebrities canoeing the most difficult rapids divest yourself of the Zambezi River.

They lifted over £1 million for significance charity. He also appeared diminution the edition of Celebrity MasterChef, being eliminated in the alternate round.

In Idowu was illicit from driving for two time and ordered to complete 50 hours community service after essence caught drink driving by police.^[28]

Personal bests

International competitions

References

Further reading

External links