Idowu eyes being pride of Hackney

Phillips Idowu was preparing for his date with destiny today harbouring the thought that even if coming home as Olympic triple jump champion didn't earn him untold riches, it might at least see him being given the keys to Hackney!

Britain's biggest pre-Games athletics hope has been keeping a low profile here, preferring to let his impressive qualifying leap of 17.44 metres, the best of all 12 finallists, make an eloquent statement of intent to his rivals at the Bird's Nest Stadium.

Yet before the event, the 29-year-old Londoner had revealed one of the great ambitions spurring him on. "I want to just go out, handle my business and get back as quickly as possible - and then they can give me the keys to Hackney," said Idowu. "It would be nice to go back to the estate where I grew up and say 'yeah, I'm the best in the world and the Olympic champion'."

The 2008 formbook suggests that he should be able to be granted his wish. For he is adamant that, unlike in 2004 when he recorded three no jumps in Athens after going into the event as leading qualifier, he would not fold this time after winning every one of the 10 competitions he's entered this year.

Though he was facing danger from athletes of the quality of Portugal's Nelson Evora, Brazil's Jadel Gregorio and Romanian Marian Oprea, all of whom have better lifetime best jumps, Idowu believes he will have the answer, thanks to the inspired form he has found under the tutelage this season of former triple jumper Aston Moore.

Still, though, Idowu insists he has not fallen out with the man who had previously guided his career, John Herbert. "It was probably a lot more difficult for John than it was for me but I had a goal this year and I felt I needed a change, that I had to do whatever I needed to do to achieve it. Me and John? We're still cool. I'd won medals with him - Commonwealth gold, European Indoors - but anything past that point is due to help I'm receiving from Aston," he said.