Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu

These include an Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games Gold and Silver Medalist and World Championship athlete (Phillips Idowu, attended Raine's Foundation School from 1990-1997), a former drummer with The Clash (Terry Chimes, 1967-1974), two Olympic and World Championship rowers (Paul Reynolds, 1961-1968; John Roberts, 1965-1971), an English Channel swimmer (Raymond Harris, 1959-1966), an England Test cricketer (Robin Hobbs, 1953-1958), a well known journalist and writer of sports books "the Original Ghostwriter of Fleet Street" (Normal Giller, 1951-1955), the celebrity Hairdresser known especially for cutting the late Princess Diana's hair (Michael Rasser of michaeljohn, 1949-1954), the well known actor, director, playwright and author Steven Berkoff (1948-1950), actress Ann Mitchell (1946-1950), actor Leonard Fenton (played Dr. Legg in Eastenders, 1937-1944), a former Labour MP for Bow and Poplar (Mildred Gordon, 1934-1939), the greatest English jazz genius of all time (Ronnie Scott, 19
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1997 - Phillips Idowu

Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu was born on 30 December, 1978 in Hackney, London.He attended Raine's Foundation School from 1990-1995 and is a world class international athlete, currently ranked as Britain's No.3 triple-jumper.He recently represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000) and the recent World Championships in Edmonton (2001).Phillips, had been a top basketball and an American football player at Raine's Foundation School.He progressed rapidly towards world-class status as a triple jumper, and got there in 2000 when he was ranked eighth in the world after a brilliant season capped by his sixth place at the Olympic Games.He achieved a personal best of 16.41m in 1999 and in 2000 jumped 16.71 at the Bedford International Games before joining the elite world triple jumpers over 17m with a win in Budapest in 17.05.He won his first senior title with 16.87 at the AAAs and confirmed his brilliant potential at the Olympic Games, when he qualified for the final with a personal best 17.12 and then took sixth place with 17.08 in his first senior international appearance for Britain.From 13.90 in 1995 he progressed to 15.09 in his first competition in 1996 and then to 15.53 for 2nd at the English Schools.A year later he showed his ability to produce his best in major competitions: 15.54 to win the Southern Juniors, a win at 15.69 for GB Juniors v Germany, 15.86 for the AAA U20 and 16.22 for the English Schools titles, and another personal best, 16.34 for 4th at the European Juniors.

Phillips Idowu - world class international athlete

In 1998 he won the British Universities title for Brunel and upped his personal best to 16.35 when second in the Southern, and in 1999 improved to 16.41 and was consistently over 16m.He was close to his best when jumping 16.39 for 5th at the 1999 European U23 Championships.He has also showed long jumping potential, with 7.62 in June 2000 in his first serious competition at the event, and then 7.83 for second at Ljubljana.In 2001, Idowu did not compete indoors, but started in good form at the British League meeting at Copthall with 16.32/16.20 triple jump and a personal best 10.81 for 100m.He won the triple jump at Loughborough with 16.89 and then leapt to new personal best when winning at the European Clubs' Cup in 17.23 and 17.33 at Haniá, then a world-leading mark.Jonathan Edwards took over as world leader, but needed to be at his best to jump 17.66 after Idowu produced 17.38 (wind +2.6) to take the lead in the Norwich Union Challenge at Glasgow.
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Phillips is well known for the numerous colours he dyes his hair: pillar-box red, yellow (when he jumped to the top of this year's world rankings with 17.33 metres in Greece), blue, blonde with red lovehearts; in fact everything from emerald green to violent purple.His hair dye sponsors have 36 colours in their range, five developed especially for him.Recently, so many were asking what colour he would try next that he dyed a question-mark into his hair.There is one colour in his sponsors' range he will not consider and that is silver. 'No way would I touch that,' said Idowu. 'I'm waiting for gold' which he had planed to premier on the winner's podium at the World Championships in Edmonton.Idowu, a 6ft 4in Londoner, confesses happily to manipulating the market.He said: 'A year or two ago I wasn't jumping more than 17 metres like the best in the world, so I had to get attention some other way.' It worked for him.Idowu, now has a shoe deal with an Italian company and the new hair dye contract.He will also appear, when the competitive season ends, on cat-walks in Paris and Milan.Phillips Idowu is a Famous Raineian to watch out for.He recently won a silver medal at the Commonwealh Games (2002), breaking the Games Record (and keeping it for 15 minutes!).Attended Raine's Foundation School from 1990-1997.A full biography of Phillips Idowu appears in the January, 2002 Old Raineian Newsletter and can be found here.

Phillips takes silver at Manchester Games

East End Life, No. 419, p. 28 - 5th August, 2002

http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/templates/news/detail.cfm?newsid
=797

[Phillips Idowu attended Raine's Foundation from 1990-1997]
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The signs are that Idowu, who left Raine's in 1995, is capable of emulating the great man - having already beaten him this season in Sheffield.

Edwards says there are still technical aspects that Phillips needs to work on, but the 21-year-old's progress has been almost as spectacular as his hair.
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Phillips will be back in action in the European championships in Munich next week, hoping for another medal and another chance to pitch himself against Edwards.
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"He's still the man, but I'm getting closer," added Idowu.