Abby Brammell

By Neil Wilson from Barcelona

High flyer: Phillips Idowu leapt to 17.81m - eight centimetres clear of his personal best - to win gold


Phillips Idowu succeeded where Dwain Chambers failed by crushing a young French challenger with the performance of his life.

Idowu emulated Jonathan Edwards by completing the set of World, European and Commonwealth titles when he beat Teddy Tamgho with a triple jump that landed eight centimetres beyond his life-time best at 17.81 metres.

It was a magnificent climax to a remarkable series of highly consistent jumps into a cool head wind on a runway wetted by a storm. An Olympic gold in Idowu's home city at London 2012 would crown an international career that has already lasted 13 years.

'I'm just missing one - the Olympics,' said Idowu. 'It feels fantastic to have jumped my best and so consistently.'

Idowu said before last night: 'Have you noted the cities I have won medals in. All are beginning with B – Beijing, Berlin, Birmingham.'


Number one: Idowu added European gold to his burgeoning medal collection


Now there is a fourth. This was Groundhog Day, another anglo-French affair like the previous day's 100 metres. Again it was youth versus experience.

Idowu, at 31 a left-over from the days of Edwards, Tamgho just 21. The red-haired Idowu the world champion, Tamgho the world indoor champion and this year's leading jumper.

Idowu said: 'Teddy is a talented kid. He has made our event so exciting. He keeps me on my toes, which is why I knew I had to jump a lifetime best.'

Idowu's instructions from veteran coach Aston Moore were simple: 'Hit him hard and his stress will settle it.'

The Londoner obeyed to the letter. He had the better of the initial exchanges, 17.46m to Tamgho's 17.12m in the first round, 17.47m to his 17.42m in the second and 17.40m when Tamgho fouled the board on the third.


Stellar performance: And now Idowu is targeting Olympic gold


The Frenchman looked threatening if he could put the elements together. Instead, it was Idowu who clicked, executing hop, step and jump perfectly off a powerful run. It was measured at 17.81m, eight centimetres more than the jump which won him the world title last year.

A disheartened Tamgho was overtaken for second place in the fifth round by Romanian Marian Oprea with a jump of 17.51m.


Britain won a second medal, a bronze, in the men's high jump which started in heavy rain during an electrical storm.

Martyn Bernard did his warm-up exercises under an umbrella, dancing a few steps when the loudspeakers offered a chorus of Singing in the Rain.

But he almost followed team-mate Tom Parsons straight out, failing twice before clearing his opening height. Then the rain stopped and Bernard, jumped 2.29m after electing to go straight to the greater height. He had failed once to clear 2.23m.

The jump, a year's best, put him into the lead but three failures at 2.31m left him with bronze, Britain's fourth medal. He then used the BBC to send his mother birthday wishes. Russia's Alek Shustov won gold with 2.33m.

Bernard watched last year's World championships on television in Ibiza after ankle surgery and last night he needed a painkilling injection in a bruised heel before the competition.

'It's good to come back from injury with a medal. Feels good! Any medal is good,' said the Londonbased Liverpudlian.


Parsons did not clear the bar in any of his three attempts. 'I could feel the water in my spikes but I can't use that as an excuse because others managed,' he said.

Dai Greene and Rhys Williams look nailed on for Britain's second one-two of the championships in the 400m hurdles tomorrow. They each won semi-finals, Greene in 49.48sec and Williams in 49.61 in what Greene described as 'pretty horrendous conditions'.

Mo Farah, the 10,000m gold medallist, was in such control of his 5,000m semi that he will start co-favourite for a second gold with Spain's defending champion Jesus Espana, who edged Farah out of gold in 2006 but followed him across the line last night.

Michael Rimmer, 24, from Southport, won his semi to reach tomorrow's 800m final, not won by a Briton since 1990.


source: dailymail