Phillips Idowu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phillips Idowu
MBE

Phillips Idowu at the 2009 World Championships.
Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
Born	(1978-12-30) 30 December 1978 (age 46) London, England
Height	1.97 m
Weight	87 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Triple jump
Club	Belgrave Harriers
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, who was born on December 30, 1978, is a British athlete. He was a specialist in the triple jump. Phillips competed at the highest level from 2000 to 2014. His most successful years were between 2006 and 2011.

He won many major titles in the triple jump. These include the World Outdoor (2009) and Indoor (2008) Championships. He also won the European Outdoor (2010) and Indoor (2007) Championships. Phillips was a Diamond League champion in 2011 and a Commonwealth Games champion in 2006. He also earned a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Phillips Idowu is a member of the Belgrave Harriers athletics club in London. He has been with this club for most of his career.

Phillips Idowu's Athletic Journey

Phillips Idowu grew up in Hackney, London. He was a very talented athlete in school. He excelled in both basketball and American football. However, he found the most success in athletics, especially as a junior.

Early Career and First Medals

In 1997, Phillips started to gain attention as a triple jumper. He won the English Schools Championships. He also won the under-20s AAA title. Later that year, he finished fourth in the European Athletics Junior Championships.

His success continued into 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. In 2012, Phillips won a Diamond League meeting in Shanghai. He beat the world champion, Christian Taylor.

Overcoming Injuries

Phillips Idowu faced a knee injury in 2003. This injury needed surgery and kept him from competing for the whole season. His goal was to get back in shape for the Olympic Games in Athens.

Major Championship Wins

In March 2006, Phillips won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. However, he finished fifth at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics later that year.

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

Idowu on the way to his first World Championships title in 2009 with a broken arm

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

Phillips won the men's triple jump title at the 2008 British Olympic Trials. He had a jump of 17.58 meters, which 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 the favorite to win, but finished behind Nelson Évora. His best jump was 17.62 meters.

Phillips missed the start of the 2009 season due to another knee injury. On August 18, 2009, he won the World Championships in Berlin. He had the longest jump of the year and a personal best of 17.73 meters outdoors. Jonathan Edwards again presented him with his medal. 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 honored with the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011. This was for his great contributions to athletics.

London Olympics and Later Years

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

After having leg surgery in late 2012, Phillips continued to have 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. He competed at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting after training in Australia. Phillips Idowu was 36 years old in 2014. He has not competed internationally since that season.

Phillips Idowu's Life Outside Athletics

Phillips Idowu studied sports sciences at Brunel University London.

He is known for his unique style. 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 for a Comic Relief challenge. They canoed down the difficult rapids of the Zambezi River. This challenge was called Through Hell and High Water. They raised over £1 million for charity. He also appeared on the TV show Celebrity MasterChef in 2013.

Phillips Idowu's Best Jumps

Phillips Idowu achieved some amazing distances in his career. Here are his personal bests:

International Competitions

Panorama of Phillips Idowu in 2008 Olympic Games

Phillips Idowu represented Great Britain and England in many international competitions. Here are some of his results:

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

See also

In Spanish: Phillips Idowu para niños