06 July 2009

OLYMPIC silver medallist Phillips Idowu is out to win gold at the World Championships this summer – and he believes victory at the Aviva London Grand Prix next month is a vital stepping stone to global success.

Winner at the UKA event last year, with a convincing victory over British rivals Nathan Douglas and Larry Achike, Idowu is hoping for a repeat performance at Crystal Palace in five weeks time as the World Championships draw closer.

The Aviva London Grand Prix is regarded as one of the most prestigious meetings on the global athletics calendar, and for many of the world’s best athletes, the event provides a final chance to fine tune their preparations – and a real indication of form with the World Championships taking place just three weeks later.

This year, the Aviva London Grand Prix, which takes place on 24 and 25 July, will provide the final major competition for Idowu, as he prepares to win another major global medal and add to the silver he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Idowu has already shown great promise for what lies ahead. Victory at his season opener in Crete earlier this month, with a hop, skip and jump of 17.60m, showed he had regained the form he enjoyed last year.

He said: “I’ve shown already this season what I am capable of , so there’s no reason I can’t go out there in London and win again with a really big performance. I’ve jumped 17.60m twice this season already and I’m in the sort of shape where I can do that again.

“The World Championships are in less than two months time so every competition between now and then is an important part of my preparations.  I want to get to Berlin in the best possible form and come home with a medal. There’s no reason I can’t win the gold, so that is what I have to focus on.

The Aviva London Grand Prix is going to be important for me to see exactly where I’m at as it will be the last major competition I do before hopefully heading off to Berlin.”

In 2008, Idowu was in terrific form, winning gold at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia and holding the world number one spot for much of the year. This year, he is looking to add World Outdoor gold to his list of accomplishments.

He said: “I know what it’s like to be the best in the world, and so I just have to concentrate on what I’m doing to get there again. The London Grand Prix will be a great event with a high level of competition, but I don’t look at what everyone else is doing and or let that worry me. I know what I’ve got to do and I just focus on that”.

Tickets for the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace, London on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July are available by phone on 08000 556 056 or online at www.uka.org.uk