British triple jumper Phillips Idowu has revealed he is taking a break from the sport and will miss next month’s World Championships.
The 34-year-old has competed just once since the Olympics last year, when he failed to make the final despite being favourite to take gold.
Idowu has struggled with injury and form and after finishing seventh in last month’s Diamond League meeting in Rome, he has now decided it is best to take a break.
“After some careful consideration I have decided that for the foreseeable future I will be taking a step back from athletics,” he said.
“I feel this is the right time for me to make this decision.”
To cap a miserable year Idowu has now dropped out of the top 50 in the world and both Nathan Douglas and Julian Reid are ahead of him in the British pecking order.
Idowu was expected to compete in the World Championship trials at Birmingham this weekend, but he has now changed his plans and it remains to be seen if he will ever return.
“I greatly appreciate all of the support I have received over the past years, particularly from the British public and my team and sponsors,” he added.
“It has been an extremely happy and successful time. I’m excited about pursuing other interests and taking other opportunities that present themselves to me during this break.”
Moscow will host the World Championships which begin on August 10th and will run until the 18th.
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