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Idowu was carrying the Olympic torch in London at the weekend. David Parry/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Triple bypass: Injury threatens Idowu's Olympic bid

Idowu, who won triple-jump silver in Beijing, is suffering a hip injury and has not travelled to Portugal with the rest of Team GB.

BRITISH TRIPLE JUMPER Phillips Idowu has pulled out of a pre-Olympic training camp it was confirmed this afternoon, fuelling fresh speculation about his prospects in London.

Idowu, the Beijing silver medallist, is continuing to receive treatment on the hip injury that saw him pull out from this month’s London Grand Prix just 25 minutes before his event was due to start.

In a statement, Idowu’s coach Aston Moore said: “In training recently Phillips has had an ongoing injury problem and we have not been able to go at things 100 percent.
“At the weekend Phillips told me he would continue to seek treatment from a private physio in London and would not travel to prepare in Portugal, although he may join us here later.

“He is an experienced athlete who I have worked with for more than four years and we will assess the situation again in the coming days.”

The 33-year-old Idowu, denied gold by just five centimetres four years ago, has not jumped competitively since a meeting in Oregon in the United States on June 1, when he took three jumps before sitting out the remainder of the meet.

He subsequently withdrew from meetings in Oslo and Paris and the British Olympic trials in Birmingham.

Rumour mill

Idowu said before the London Grand Prix he had never mentioned an injury and was happy to let the “rumour mill stir itself,” but pulled out of the competition at Crystal Palace with a hip problem he felt while warming up.

He wrote on Twitter: “Hey guys, sorry to have to pull out of #ALGP, slight bit of muscle tightness. I will be fine in a day or 2. Hope the other jumpers put on a great show for you. See you 7th aug. thanks for your support.”

August 7 is the date of triple jump qualifying at this Olympics, with Idowu now facing the prospect of a rushed build-up to be fit in time.

- © AFP, 2012

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