• World Championships

Idowu refusing to end Van Commenee feud

ESPN staff
August 25, 2011
Phillips Idowu will attempt to defend his title in Daegu © PA Photos
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Phillips Idowu is in no mood to repair relations with Charles van Commenee, the UK Athletics head coach, ahead of the World Championships in South Korea.

World triple jump champion Idowu fell out with Van Commenee when he tweeted his decision to withdraw from the European Team Championships in June.

Van Commenee claims the first he knew of Idowu's decision came when it was aired on Twitter, and says he should have been told beforehand - but Idowu insists he informed UK Athletics before broadcasting the news publicly.

Now as he prepares to defend his world crown at the Daegu tournament, which begins on Saturday, Idowu is refusing to bring an end to the feud.

"I haven't spoken to Charles," Idowu said. "Right now my focus is on the competition. I speak to my coach [Aston Moore] but that's about it. Even talking about the row is a waste of time.

"The headlines in the end will be about whether I win a gold medal, not about whether Charles and I speak. I'm in good shape to win."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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