London 2012 Olympics: Agony for Phillips Idowu as he fails to make final

The 33-year-old Londoner  looked edgy and failed to engage with the crowd in his distinctive manner which has led to sports fans warming to him in stadiums around the world.

Idowu was still very popular with the home crowd, though, and a  huge roar went around the stadium when he appeared on the big screen which got louder when he was introduced to the crowd.

He produced three jumps, none of which made the 17m mark and fouled on his second leap.

After each jump, he pulled on his track suit and sat quietly, hardly engaging with the other athletes in group A of the first round.

Afterwards, he said: "I've managed to go to major champs and pick up medals. This year I wasn't at my best but still thought I could produce.

"Had nerve pain in my body. My physio and me decided it would be best for me to stay in UK."

Idowu, famous for his colourful hairstyles, now appeared to have a mohican and wore a Team GB head band, as he emerged to raucous cheers from the 80,000 crowd who willed him on to achieve the gold medal that had evaded him in Beijing.

At 33, and the oldest among his competitors, this was certain to be his last Olympics as he will be 37 by the time the games reach Rio.

The  gold medal hope jumped 16.47m with his first jump, fouled on his second and could only manage 16.53 with his third.

The stadium announcer did not announce Idowu's Olympic dream was over as the event was still running.

But he shrugged his shoulders, pulled on his track suit and watched the other athletes still to jump, from the competitors bench.

He then waved to the crowd and disappeared from the Olympics, probably for the last time.

He had raised rumours of injury after a late withdrawal from the Olympic trials and last month's London Grand Prix, when he pulled out just 25 minutes before the competition was due to start.

Idowu, who is suffering from a trapped nerve, only arrived at the athletes' village on Sunday. He claimed that for the last few weeks he has simply been in his home city of London, finalising his preparation and receiving treatment, easily reachable by the "appropriate people".

But UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee said last week he was perplexed that Idowu had turned his back on UKA and his own coach Aston Moore, who had only received a brief text before Idowu cut off contact.

Despite arriving at the Athletes' Village on Sunday, fans of the triple-jumper and others in Team GB had  been perturbed by his seemingly erratic behaviour.

He won his first two competitions of 2012 in Holland and Shanghai but then finished third in Eugene when he completed just three jumps before withdrawing citing concerns over the wet conditions.

Since then he pulled out of various meetings, raising interest in whether he was fit.

However the British Olympic Association's medical adviser was convinced the Londoner was fit, having talked to Idowu's personal physician.

But fears remained as Idowu had not completed a flat-out training session for three weeks, and has not been in competition since June 2.

Injury was thought to be the most likely explanation for his sudden disappearance from view.

He has reportedly been continuing his treatment for an injured leg and hip in the BOA's medical centre inside the Athletes' Village.

But others - including world champion Christian Taylor - believed he may have been playing mind games as an attempt to fly at rivals under the radar with his chances having been "written off" in their minds.

Idowu claims his arrival was "as planned months ago" and that for the last few weeks he has simply been in his home city of London, finalising his preparation and receiving therapy, easily reachable by the "appropriate people".

In contrast, UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee said last week he was perplexed that Idowu had turned his back on UKA and his own coach Aston Moore, who had only received a brief text before Idowu cut off contact.

Van Commenee and Idowu have not spoken in a year.

Instead the jumper has only communicated through Twitter.

He says he imposed a media blackout on himself for weeks and so knew nothing of the controversy over his absence until last Saturday, and said he was surprised his movements caused so much interest.

He said: "I have to give notification of my whereabouts everyday for doping purposes, so it's impossible to completely disappear. The appropriate people can contact me with ease. There is no story here."

But despite his protestations, the fact Idowu was described by his head coach as a "missing person" means there were doubts about his ability to perform.

And amid such claim and counter-claim it was hard to know what sort of shape Idowu was likely to be in.