Long Jump says farewell to another one of the sports great athletes, Dwight Philips. Phillips now adds his name to the lineup of iconic and memorable athletes of the sport- Jesse Owens, Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis and Mike Powell.
Phillips was a great athlete that will be well known for his triumphs at the 2003, 2005, 2009, and 2011 World Championships as well as his victories at the 2004 Olympic Games and 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. His latest and final international meeting was at the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich last Thursday. Although he didn’t perform the way he would have wanted, he was honored with a special presentation by IAAF President Lamine Diack, a former long jumper.
“I would have liked to have had a better result but, never mind, I enjoyed my last competition and Zurich is an appropriate place to end my career,” reflected Phillips on Thursday night. “I actually wanted 2012 to be my last year in the sport but after tearing my Achilles, I knew that I wanted to go out competing rather than when I was injured.”
Philips last great feat was back in 2011 during the IAAF World Championships. Although he was suffering back injuries, Dwight managed to pull it all together to win his 4th gold medal. No matter the accolades he accomplished, his biggest regret is never getting closer to Mike Powell’s record of 8.95m. “Hopefully, I left a great legacy and will be remembered like other big long jumpers like Carl Lewis,” commented Phillips. That will be the easiest accomplishment he made his career.
[IAAF]
RELATED: Usain Bolt Wins 2013 World Championships 200M Gold in the Puma Bolt evoSpeed
RELATED: These World Class Athletes are Back on the Track for the Diamond League Series
