Phillips Idowu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phillips Idowu
MBE

Phillips Idowu at the 2009 World Championships.
Personal information
Born	(1978-12-30) 30 December 1978 (age 46) London, England
Height	1.97 m
Weight	87 kg
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Triple jump
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Triple jump World Championships Gold 2009 Berlin Triple jump Silver 2011 Daegu Triple jump Diamond League Winner 2011 Triple jump European Championships Gold 2010 Barcelona Triple jump World Indoor Championships Gold 2008 Valencia Triple jump European Indoor Championships Gold 2007 Birmingham Triple jump Continental Cup Bronze 2010 Split Triple jump Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2006 Melbourne Triple jump Silver 2002 Manchester Triple jump
Updated on 15 August 2012.

Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu (born on December 30, 1978) is a famous British athlete. He was a top competitor in the triple jump from 2000 to 2014. Phillips Idowu won many big titles, including World, European, and Commonwealth championships.

He also won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Phillips is a member of the Belgrave Harriers athletics club in London. Even with all his success, he sometimes faced challenges in his career. However, his wins, especially his gold medal at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, showed his amazing talent. The Olympic Games silver medal in 2008 was his only major championship medal missing a gold.

Phillips Idowu's Athletics Journey

Phillips Idowu grew up in Hackney, London. He was a very good athlete in school. He played basketball and American football, but he was best at track and field, especially the triple jump.

In 1997, he started to get noticed. He won the English Schools Championships and the under-20s AAA title. He finished that year by coming fourth in the European Athletics Junior Championships.

Early Career and First Medals

Phillips continued to do well in 2000. He was ranked among the top 10 triple jumpers in the world. He finished sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games. In 2001, he won the European Cup.

His first big international medal was a silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He set a new personal best jump of 17.68 meters. He came second to Jonathan Edwards, who held the world record. Later in 2002, he placed fifth at the European Championships.

In 2012, Phillips Idowu beat world champion Christian Taylor at a Diamond League meeting in Shanghai.

Overcoming Injuries

In 2003, Phillips had a knee injury that needed surgery. This meant he could not compete for the whole season. His goal was to get back in shape for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

Winning Major Championships

In March 2006, Phillips Idowu won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. But he could not keep this great form and finished fifth at the European Championships later that year.

In 2007, Phillips won gold at the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham. He jumped 17.56 meters, which was a championship record. He then won the IAAF Golden League Bislett Games in June 2007. By July 2007, he was ranked the third-best triple jumper in the world. This was a new high point in his career.

On March 9, 2008, Phillips won his first world title. He took the gold medal at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. His jump of 17.75 meters also broke the British and Commonwealth Indoor record. The previous record was held by Jonathan Edwards, who gave Phillips his medal.

Even after these big wins, Phillips decided to change his coach. He switched from John Herbert to 1982 Commonwealth Games medalist Aston Moore. Phillips felt it was the right time to make a change to keep improving.

Phillips Idowu winning his first World Championships title in 2009.

Phillips won the men's triple jump title at the 2008 British Olympic Trials. His jump of 17.58 meters was the longest outdoor jump of 2008 at that time.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phillips won a silver medal in the men's triple jump. He was a favorite to win, but finished behind World Champion Nelson Évora. His best jump was 17.62 meters. Phillips said he was a bit disappointed, but he was also excited for the next Olympics in London.

Phillips missed the start of the 2009 season because of another knee injury. On August 18, 2009, he won the World Championships in Berlin. He made the longest jump of the year and his personal best outdoors, 17.73 meters. Jonathan Edwards presented him with this medal too.

In July 2010, he broke his triple jump personal best again. He jumped 17.81 meters at the Barcelona European Athletics Championships to win gold.

Phillips Idowu was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2011. This award was "for services to athletics."

2012 London Olympics and Later Years

Phillips was working hard to get fit for the 2012 Summer Olympics in his home city of London. He had not competed for almost three months before the games. Phillips faced challenges and could not get past the qualifying round of the triple jump. This meant his hopes for a medal in London ended.

After having leg surgery in late 2012, Phillips continued to face fitness issues in 2013. In July 2013, he said he was "taking a step back" from the sport. Many thought this meant he was retiring. However, Phillips returned to top-level competition in May 2014 at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting. He had been training in Australia.

Phillips Idowu was 36 years old in 2014. He has not competed internationally since that season.

Phillips Idowu's Life Outside Sports

Phillips Idowu studied sports sciences at Brunel University London.

He is known for his unique and fun personality. He often had different hair colors, facial piercings, and a big, booming laugh. Besides triple jump, Phillips also enjoys playing basketball. He has a daughter named D'Karma (born in 2007) and a son named Prince (born in 2010). Both of his parents are from Nigeria.

In 2013, Phillips joined other celebrities like Jack Dee and Melanie C for a Comic Relief challenge. They canoed down the difficult rapids of the Zambezi River in Through Hell and High Water. They raised over £1 million for charity. He also appeared on the TV show Celebrity MasterChef in 2013.

Personal Bests

International Competitions

Panorama of Phillips Idowu competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Great Britain and  England
1999	European U23 Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th	16.39 m (wind: +0.6 m/s)
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	6th	17.08 m
2001	IAAF World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	9th	16.60 m
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, UK	2nd	17.68 m
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	5th	16.92 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	12th	No Mark
2006	Commonwealth Games	Melbourne, Australia	1st	17.45 m
	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th	17.02 m
2007	European Indoor Championships	Birmingham, UK	1st	17.56 m
	IAAF World Championships	Osaka, Japan	6th	17.09 m
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	1st	17.75 m
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	2nd	17.62 m
2009	IAAF World Championships	Berlin, Germany	1st	17.73 m
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	1st	17.81 m
2011	IAAF World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	2nd	17.77 m

Images for kids

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  Phillips Idowu competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.

See also

In Spanish: Phillips Idowu para niños