Phillips Idowu Missing: Olympic Triple Jumper's Whereabouts Unknown Days Before 2012 London Event
Concern has set in for the trainer and agent of missing triple jumper Phillips Idowu of Great Britain after the track and field star hasn't been seen just four days before he is set to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Officials with the Great Britain delegation are concerned after Idowu, 33, hasn't made contact with his agent or the country's track and field coach since last week, Yahoo Sports reported.
The enigmatic Idowu has until Sunday to report to the Olympic Village or he cannot compete in Tuesday's triple jump.
Charles van Comenee, track and field coach for the Great Britain squad, called Idowu's latest behavior "bizarre."
Van Comenee told the London Evening Standard: "First he has to show up, and we don't know when he is going to show up. When he shows up, where he sleeps, we have no idea. ... I find it bizarre. [Coach] Aston [Moore] finds it bizarre. We have to deal with the situation as it is presented to us.
Idowu's agent, Jonathan Marks, was at a loss for words over his client being "missing."
"There is nothing I can say," Marks told Yahoo Sports. "My life would be a lot easier if there was."
The men's triple jump is set for Tuesday, and Idowu, a London native, was expected to perform before his hometown crowd during these Olympic Games.
Idowu had been considered a favorite to medal in the competition, but an injury sidelined those hopes, according to the Evening Standard, which cited a "nerve problem running from Idowu's knee."
While Idowu hasn't made physical contact with Great Britain's delegation, he had communicated with Moore via text messages, according to Yahoo Sports. However, even Idowu's family is unsure of his whereabouts.
"I am perplexed that in the last few weeks before the games he has turned his back on us," British Olympic Association representative Andy Hunt told Yahoo Sports.
Fans of Idowu encouraged the British triple jumper to turn up at the Olympics on a Facebook page devoted to the 33-year-old athlete.
"Where are you, we need you!" said Charlotte Monson.
"Don't let GB [Great Britain] down ... Turn up or give someone some knowledge that you are not going to compete!!! It is not fair," opined Alison Tyson.
Idowu, who was born to Nigerian parents and grew up in the Hackney neighborhood of London, won the silver medal in the men's triple jump during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He also won the silver medal at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, last year.
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