Dwight Phillips, 4-Time World Champion Long Jumper, Will Miss Second Straight Olympics

June 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

American long jumper Dwight Phillips, who won gold in 2004 in Athens and world championships in 2003, 2005, 2009, and 2011, will miss next week’s U.S. track and field Olympic trials in Oregon after having surgery on his Achilles tendon.

He will therefore not compete later this summer in London.

Phillips broke the news Friday on Twitter.

Phillips just missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing fourth at the U.S. trials. (The top three finishers qualify.) He has also been recovering from injuries he received in a car accident this April.

Here is Phillips winning last year’s world championship in Daegu, South Korea:

Reigning world champion and 2004 gold medal-winning long jumper Dwight Phillips will miss this year’s Olympic games. (Photo from Yonhap News)

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About Josh Tinley

Josh Tinley writes the Away From The Action column at Midwest Sports Fans, covering all aspects of sport aside from what actually happens on the field, court, or track. Josh grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from the University of Evansville and Vanderbilt Divinity School. He is the author of Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports and the managing editor of LinC, a weekly curriculum for teens that explores the intersection of faith and culture. Josh lives outside Nashville with his wife, Ashlee, and children, Meyer (7), Resha Kate (5), and Malachi (3). He will not allow himself to die before the Evansville Purple Aces make another trip to the NCAA Tournament. Follow him on Twitter @joshtinley or send him an e-mail.

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