Idowu's victory puts Edwards under threat

A week after the European Cup winner, Larry Achike, sent the out-of-form world record holder Jonathan Edwards a timely warning he intends trampling on his toes in the Olympic Games run-up, there was another outstanding British triple jump victory.

A week after the European Cup winner, Larry Achike, sent the out-of-form world record holder Jonathan Edwards a timely warning he intends trampling on his toes in the Olympic Games run-up, there was another outstanding British triple jump victory.

Phillips Idowu, last year's AAA Under-23 champion, leapt a lifetime best 17.05 metres to surpass the Olympic qualifying mark by 20 centimetres. More importantly it gave the 21-year-old Belgrave Harrier the most important victory of his career.

Now Edwards, who was competing in Israel yesterday, can feel genuinely threatened unless he can reproduce his very best form and he may not travel automatically to Sydney as Britain's No 1 choice.

Idowu, only the ninth British triple jumper to break the 17m barrier, was not surprised by his victory. "I've been expecting to produce a big one," he said.

It was a profitable meeting for British competitors with victories for Marlon Devonish in the men's 200m in 20.66, ahead of Julian Golding (20.84) and Ireland's Paul Brizzel (20.89).

Scotland's Jonathan McCallum won the 1500m by 0.16sec ahead of England's Neil Caddy in a personal best 3:38.87.

Colin Jackson returned from injury on Saturday night with a fine performance in the Sachsen Meeting at Chemnitz in eastern Germany. Five days after visiting the Munich clinic of Heinz-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt for treatment for a hamstring problem, Britain's only track and field world champion recorded his fastest 110m hurdles time of the year.

In his heat the Welshman clocked a season's best of 13.27, and he was even quicker in the final an hour later, crossing the line in 13.20 - 0.09 clear of Falk Balzer, the German who won the European Cup race in Jackson's absence at Gates-head last Sunday.