Series02 May 2012


Car accident setback isn’t dampening Phillips’ enthusiasm for upcoming US Olympic trials - IAAF Online Diaries

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Dwight Phillips of the United States going for gold medal during the men's long jump final (© Getty Images)

Dwight Phillips will be forced to put off his eagerly anticipated season’s debut after sustaining some injuries in a car accident a few weeks ago. While clearly a setback, the four-time World Long Jump champion insists that he’ll be ready for the US Olympic trials late next month.

"I wish I had happier news to report but unfortunately my season debut has been put off. As you know I was really looking forward to competing in Kawasaki, Japan, but I was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago and this has interrupted my Olympic preparations.

"I was on the highway in stop and go traffic and a car hit me from behind. I sustained some injuries to my back and my neck so I am not going to be able to compete in Kawasaki or in Doha.

"My training had been going really well and, as I said last time, I was anxious to compete. I had been feeling great in training and I was ready to go. I am in great shape.

"I had some strong pains in my neck from whiplash and also my back. My car was damaged pretty badly but the damage to my body is, of course, far worse. So now I just have to regroup myself and do therapy and try to get healthy.

"I am getting therapy twice a day and that includes getting into a hyperbaric chamber, seeing a chiropractor and getting massage therapy. I haven’t been doing any training on the track or in the gym but I have been doing pool workouts to keep up my fitness level.

"People ask if I am disappointed. Well, things like this happen. I have gone through a lot worse in my career. It’s just something that happens and I have to deal with it. I will probably spend a few more weeks training in the pool and see where I go from there.

"It really doesn’t do anything to dampen my enthusiasm for the Olympic trials. I feel I am more than capable of being ready for the trials and for the London Olympics. I didn’t compete much last year and I still won the World Championships. So, it’s not about the competition, it’s about being able to train at an optimal level.

"As you know I always keep myself busy with various projects and with my family who are my main priority. Last time I wrote about my work on a documentary on autism that my company, Quick Time Cinema, has been working on. The idea came to me while I was using a hyperbaric chamber for recovery from training. I saw a lot of autistic kids also using hyperbaric chambers to get more oxygen into the brain and there was great response when they used them. It was incredible and I wanted to work on a documentary on this topic. Well, the project is coming along well.

"We got some interviews with experts from the Centre for Disease Control and their thoughts on why autism is a lot more prevalent now when it wasn't in the past. We also interviewed some families who are dealing with autism. So, it’s coming along pretty well. We want to have the documentary finished by June and then we want to send it to some documentary film festivals.

"They have one in Miami, the American Black Film Festival and of course you want to do all the big ones like Sundance. We are getting projects ready now for the 2013 festivals.

"Well, it’s time to wrap up now - must get to the pool and get some training in. I expect to have a more positive entry to write next month. Until then..................."

Dwight
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