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On this day in 2008: Phillips Idowu celebrates world indoors triple jump gold

Great Britain’s Phillips Idowu won gold in the triple jump at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia, on this day in 2008.

The 29-year-old Londoner smashed Jonathan Edwards’ 10 year old British record and came within eight centimetres of the then world indoor record.

Sporting a designer red hairstyle, Idowu opened with a jump of 17.10m before going out to 17.75m with his second.

Athletics – IAAF World Indoor Athletics – Palau Velodromo Luis Puig
Phillips Idowu’s golden leap delivered in Spain (John Giles/PA)

He matched his previous personal best of 17.56m in the third round and jumped 17.45m in the next before sitting out the fifth and fouling with his final attempt.

By that point he had already done enough to see off the challenge of former world junior champion David Giralt and the previous year’s world outdoor gold medallist Nelson Evora.

Athletics – IAAF World Indoor Athletics – Palau Velodromo Luis Puig
Idowu celebrated success with his medal (John Giles/PA)

Idowu was presented with his medal by former world and Olympic champion Edwards.

He said: “I knew it was going to be hard beforehand, so I kept on going.

“I wanted to see what sort of shape I was in after four or five months of hard winter work – and obviously it’s a very good one.”