Dwight Phillips (born October 1, 1977) is an American former athlete and a four-time world champion in the long jump. He was the 2004 Olympic champion in the event. His personal best of 8.74 meters, set in 2009, makes him the joint fifth best jumper of all time.Long Jump All Time. IAAF. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.
Phillips has also competed in the 60 and 100-meter dashes. His personal record for the 100 m is 10.06 seconds and his time of 6.47 seconds over 60 m ranks among the top twenty fastest ever.60 Metres All Time. IAAF. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.
He is a now a track and field ambassador at SPIRE Institute and Academy. He will be joining the others such as Elizabeth Beisel and Caeleb Dressel representing the school. The goal of the partnership with SPIRE and the ambassadors is to emphasize the development of peak performance in athletics, academics, character and life.
Career Phillips was a promising sprinter in his early days, but concentrated on the triple jump while at University of Kentucky, before switching to the long jump after moving to Arizona State University in 2000. He competed at 2000 Sydney Olympics and finished eighth in the long jump with a jump of 8.06 m. He was the best American performer in the event. At his first World Championships he again finished eighth, after sustaining a hamstring tear.
He came to prominence in 2003, when he won both the IAAF indoor and outdoor World Championships. The indoor championship event was a close contest, with Phillips only beating Spain's Yago Lamela by a centimeter. He won the outdoor title with a winning margin of four centimeters over James Beckford of Jamaica.
In the run up to the 2004 Athens Olympics, Phillips was ranked number one in the world, and he won the gold medal by a margin of 12 cm over his compatriot John Moffitt. His winning jump of 8.59 meters was the fourth biggest in Olympic history, after Bob Beamon (1968) and Carl Lewis (1988, 1992).Olympic Games Medallists – Athletics (Men) – GBR Athletics
His success continued at the next two World Championships, taking the gold medal at the 2005 Helsinki event, and winning bronze in Osaka two years later.
Phillips finished fourth in the long jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials, meaning he would not compete at the Beijing Olympics and would not defend his Olympic title.
On June 7, 2009, Phillips won the long jump at the Prefontaine Classic with a personal-best third jump of 8.74 m, defeating 2008 Olympic gold medalist Irving Saladino. A jump that put Phillips in the all-time performers top 10, despite a 1.2 metres/second headwind. He won the US Championships later that month, giving him another chance to reach the podium at the World Championships.Morse, Parker (June 28, 2009). World season leads for Demus and Merritt as team takes shape in Eugene – USA Champs, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-30.
At the 2009 World Athletics Championships, in Berlin, Phillips won the gold in the long jump with a jump of 8.54 m. He repeated the feat in Daegu in 2011 with a leap of 8.45 m. During the championships in Daegu, Phillips was assigned the bib number 1111. After winning, Phillips proudly pointed to the number appropriate for finishing first in four championships.
A car accident just before the start of the 2012 outdoor season left him with back and neck injuries.Car accident setback isn't dampening Phillips’ enthusiasm for upcoming US Olympic trials - IAAF Online Diaries. IAAF (May 2, 2012). Retrieved on 2012-06-16. Further to this, an Achilles tendon injury recurred and instead of preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, Phillips opted to undergo surgery to prolong his career.2004 Olympic Long Jump champion Phillips to miss London Games. IAAF. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.
At the 2013 World Athletics Championships, in Moscow, Phillips placed 11th in the long jump with a jump of 7.88 m and announced this was his last competition and retirement.
In 2018, Phillips was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
In September 2020, SPIRE Institute and Academy signed Phillips to become an international track and field ambassador.
Personal life Phillips is currently CEO and partner at Epiq.tv. Phillips is also the founder of The winners circles.
Phillips son, Dwight, is a running back for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Personal bests
EventBestVenueDateLong jump8.74 mEugene, Oregon, United StatesJune 7, 2009Long jump (indoor)8.29 mBirmingham, United KingdomMarch 15, 2003Triple jump16.41 mBoise, Idaho, United StatesJune 5, 199950 meters5.70 sLiévin, FranceFebruary 26, 200560 meters6.47 sMadrid, SpainFebruary 24, 2005100 meters10.06 sAthens, Georgia, United StatesMay 9, 2009200 meters20.68 sTempe, Arizona, United StatesMarch 30, 2002 All information from IAAF Profile
Achievements Representing the 2000Olympic GamesSydney8th 8.06 m2001World ChampionshipsEdmonton, Canada8th7.92 m2003World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, England 1st 8.29 mWorld ChampionshipsParis, France 1st 8.32 mWorld Athletics FinalMonte Carlo, Monaco 1st2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece 1st8.59 mWorld Athletics FinalMonte Carlo, Monaco 2nd8.26 m2005World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland 1st8.60 mWorld Athletics FinalMonte Carlo, Monaco 1st2006World Athletics FinalStuttgart, Germany 6th2007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan 3rd8.30 m2009World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany 1st8.54 m2011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea 1st8.45 m2013World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia 11th7.88 m
Awards Night of Legends Award 2024: USATF Legacy Award
References
External links