Winning the 2008 World Indoor Championships made Idowu the triple jump favorite for Beijing, but he had to settle for silver after being edged by Nelson Evora.
Leading the way:
Idowu, who’s sported a variety of hair colors over the years, posted the world's two leading triple jumps during the first half of 2008, when he recorded leaps of 17.58 meters (57 feet, 8 inches) and 17.57 meters at Great Britain’s 2008 Olympic Trials.
Olympic action:
Idowu finished a highly respectable sixth in the triple jump final at his first Olympic Games, in 2000, at age 21. He started the 2004 finals well with a first-round jump that would have earned him a silver medal – if it hadn’t mistakenly been called a foul. Idowu was awarded three more jumps but was badly shaken by the error and recorded three consecutive (and real) fouls, ending his day.
Career highlights:
Idowu won the 2008 World Indoors with a personal best jump measuring 17.75 meters (58 feet, 2.8 inches). He also won the European Indoors in 2007 and the Commonwealth Games in 2006, along with five national championships.
The stats:
- Height: 6-4
- Weight: 196
- Age: 29
- Birth date: December 30, 1978
- Hometown: Enfield, Great Britain
- World Championships: One
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