05 July 2011

World Indoor champion Teddy Tamgho has confirmed he will line up against Phillips Idowu in the triple jump at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix, enhancing the event’s status as one of the strongest fields in world athletics this year.

Tamgho will renew his rivalry with the reigning World and European champion Phillips Idowu, only 10 days after the Parisian’s victory in the Lausanne leg of the Samsung Diamond League.

Tamgho’s win was only his third in nine competitions with his ten-year senior rival – the others being in New York and London last year – but the Parisian’s 17.91m in Lausanne was his sixth jump farther than Idowu’s personal best of 17.81m.

And World Indoor Record holder Tamgho is confident his good form will continue at the Birmingham Alexander Stadium on Sunday and admits he is desperate to usurp Idowu as the undisputed king of triple jump at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu this summer.

He said: “I’m delighted to be competing at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix against Phillips. I’ve always had great competition with him and it’ll be nice to compete against him in his own country.

“The triple jump field is very strong at the moment and in my opinion this will only get better and better the more we compete against one another. Having guys like Phillips up against you really pushes and drives you and that’s only good for me.

“I’m feeling in great shape and was really pleased with the way I jumped in Lausanne last week. It was nice to beat Phillips, but I’m sure he’ll be desperate to come back and beat me in his home country, so if I’m going to win there, I’ll have to jump even further.

“I feel there’s plenty more to come from me, and I’m hoping to be jumping some big 18m jumps soon. I have it within me I’m sure, and hopefully I can do this in Birmingham.

“It’s exciting for everyone there that they’ll see us only months before the World Championships and a good performance in Birmingham is vital in my preparations.

“I won the World Indoor title last year and broke the World Indoor Record earlier this year in Paris, so it would be a dream couple of years if I could win the World Championships in Daegu later this summer.

“But I know it’s going to be very tough and Phillips is going to be pushing me hard every step of the way.”

Tamgho joins an all-star cast of British and international athletes set to head to the UK this summer, adding his name to a growing list of stars already signed to the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix and Aviva London Grand Prix meets. Mo Farah (5000m), Asafa Powell (100m), Mark Lewis-Francis (100m), Christine Ohuruogu (400m), Sanya Richards-Ross (400m), Jenny Meadows (800m), David Oliver (110m hurdles), Phillips Idowu (triple jump), Andreas Thorkildsen (javelin throw), Kim Collins (100m), Felix Sanchez (400m hurdles), Dai Greene (400m hurdles), Blanka Vlasic (high jump) and Carmelita Jeter (100m, 200m) will all be in action in the UK this summer, fast building as the marquee destination of  the global league series.  

The Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix will be at the Birmingham Alexander Stadium on 10 July and will be shown live on BBC2 17.30-20.00. For more information on this event or any other Aviva Series event this summer go to uka.org.uk/aviva-series or phone 08000 556 056