Brits reach for the star

13 April 2012

Jonathan Edwards wants to put triple jump rivals Larry Achike and Phillips Idowu in their place when they compete in tonight's Helsinki Grand Prix.

The 35-year-old Olympic champion said: "It's good for the sport. With the two lads also from Great Britain it's adding interest as everyone wants to become No 1."

Achike and Idowu finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Sydney Olympics and Edwards knows they are breathing down his neck.

He said: "Reaching the Olympic final proved they both have world-class credentials.

"You can't call them young pretenders - the pair of them are now established stars."

Tonight will be the first time the trio have done battle since they fought for Olympic gold.

Idowu has made great progress this summer. Until a week ago, the Londoner headed this year's world rankings with a 17.33 metres clearance. But that personal best effort was short-lived as Edwards unleashed a massive 17.56m jump and had what looked like an 18m effort disallowed for a foot fault in Milan last Wednesday.

With a best last year of 18.72m, which gained him the Olympic title, Edwards is using a new run-up technique this season and reckons it will prove to be a gold medal-winning choice in August when he goes for the world title in Edmonton.

"You saw how close to 18m I was with my disallowed jump in Milan," said Edwards. "After 15 years I thought it was time to change my style and it seems to be working."

Also in the field will be world champion Charles Friedek of Germany and top Cubans, former world indoor champion Yoels Garcia plus world junior champion Michael Calvo.

Meanwhile, Christian Malcolm has the chance to clinch a place in the British team for the European Cup Final at the end of the month.

The Welshman should have faced Darren Campbell, the Olympic silver medallist over 200m, in the Finnish meeting and also Marlon Devonish, the fastest Briton this year with a time of 20.40 seconds.

However, Campbell, who injured his hamstring early in the month at the European Clubs Competition in Madrid and aggravated it in training, has pulled out of the meeting.

Iwan Thomas, hoping after two years of injury to regain the form which earned him the European, Commonwealth and World Cup titles in 1998, faces South Africa's 400m champion Hendrik Mokganyetsi. Fellow Welshman Jamie Baulch has pulled out of that race.

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