Dwight Phillips Interview

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Dwight Phillips — September, 2025

Dwight Phillips is the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the long jump. He is also four-time World Champion outdoors in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011 and World Champion indoors in 2003. Dwight is a five-time USA Champion, two-time World Athletics Final Champ, Diamond League Final Champ, and Continental Cup Champ. His other five dozen plus international victories include in Helsinki, Monaco, Shanghai, Moscow, Rome, Madrid, Glasgow, and Zurich. He represented the United States at three Olympics in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and in 2012 in London, England. DP earned the Bronze Medal at the 2007 World Championships and his five medals at the World Championships Outdoors is the highest total in meet history in the men's long jump, as is his tally of seven finals made. Track and Field News ranked him five times as number one in the world. Collegiately at Arizona State University, Dwight was a three-time NCAA Silver Medalist in the long jump and a nine-time All-American. At Tucker (Georgia) High School, he earned eleven medals at the Georgia State Championships. His versatility throughout his final three years in high school is evidenced by a Silver and two Bronze Medals and in the long jump, a Gold Medal in the triple jump, a Silver Medal in the high jump, a Gold and Silver Medal at 400 meters, a Gold and Silver Medal in the 4x100-meter relay and two Gold Medals in the 4x400-meter relay as he led Tucker High School to two team State Championships. After retiring from competition, Dwight has kept close to the sport as a SPIRE Track and Field Ambassador, as Chairman of the USATF Athlete Advisory Committee and as founder of The Winners Circle Track Club. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2018. His personal best performances include: Long jump – 28 feet 8 ¼ inches (8.74 meters); Triple Jump – 53 feet, 10 inches (16.41 meters); 60 meters – 6.47; 100m – 10.06; 200m – 20.68; 400m – 47.12. Dwight was very gracious to spend an hour and fifteen minutes on the telephone for this interview in autumn 2025.

GCR:

THE BIG PICTURE The ultimate goal in the sport of track and field is to earn Gold Medals as the best in the world. When you look back at achieving this in the long jump six times with an Olympic Gold Medal, and five World Championships Gold Medals, four outdoors and one indoors, how do you rate these achievements compared to what your goals were when you started competing as a young man with hopes and dreams of the future?

I had aspirations when I watched the 1984 Olympics. I saw Carl Lewis win four Gold Medals. From that moment onward, I was motivated to pursue the sport of track and field. Of course, I always had dreams of making it to the Olympics. There were many kids in my track club, and we all had aspirations, but we didn’t know who could realistically attain the goals and actually make those dreams come true. Like every child, I went through a lot of adversity. I was in a motorcycle accident that sidelined me from even being able to participate in sports. My trajectory in the sport was to work hard, give my best effort, have a good attitude and be the best I could possibly be in every competition. As a young student, I wasn’t very good. It took a lot of drive and determination to reach a higher level. By the time I was in high school, I was able to compete at a more elite level. But, if you compared me when I started at eight years old to when I was in high school, most people would never have thought I would be a top athlete

GCR:	Though track and field athletes compete with the same competitors at the Olympics and World Championships, was there a different feeling when you scored your Olympic Gold Medal versus when you earned World Championships Gold Medals?
DP	I have to definitely say that, for me, the World Championships and Olympics are an equal playing field, though the Olympics are the pinnacle of the sport. If an athlete makes it to the World Championships and is able to win a Gold Medal, it is a springboard to the Olympic Games.

GCR:

Let’s chat about your first Gold Medal on the world stage at the 2003 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England. Can you take us through your mindset going into the competition and how it played out as you were in second place going into your final jump and won by one centimeter, 8.29 to 8.28, over Yago Lamela of Spain?

I finished second in the NCAA Championships three times and in my first Olympic Trials I finished second. I also finished second when I made my first World Championships Indoors USA team. I was the ‘King of Second.’ When I was in Birmingham, England in 2003 for the World Championships Indoors, I had a goal. I wanted to win the Gold Medal. I didn’t want to get second. I wanted to win. In the final round, Yago Lamela leaped further than me and I was in second place. For a split second I thought, ‘It’s okay to be second in the world.’ Then I blinked out of that mindset and reminded myself that my goal was to win. On my final attempt, I was the last competitor of the day. I had the complete attention of the crowd. The entirety of the fans in the arena in Birmingham, England were clapping. And I won by a mere centimeter.

GCR:	Athletes sometimes have a year when it all comes together. Was there something special in 2003 that allowed you to win the 2003 World Indoor title, the 2003 World Outdoor title and to complete the `Triple Crown' winning at the IAAF Grand Prix Final?
DP	That one centimeter when I earned the World Championships Indoors Gold Medal gave me the confidence of a lifetime, and I went on to win the World Championships Outdoors and the Grand Prix Finals that year. So, going into 2004, I had the necessary confidence, and I knew I had the ability to win. As long as I was healthy, there was no way I was going to lose.

GCR:

The difference between Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals and no medal is so small on the world stage. Since five of your six Gold Medals in the Olympics and at Worlds were by less than five inches, in the heat of competition, how focused are you on each phase of the long jump from your speed to hitting your marks to being in the right spot on the board to takeoff to what you do in the air and to your landing as any minute error can make such a big difference in your result?

It comes down to rehearsal for me. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, especially when it came to global competitions. I treated the day exactly like I did at practice. I knew that if I executed at a high level like I do at practice, that I would perform at a high level. My focus was always to execute and not be too emotional or too influenced by the crowd. I tried not to get too emotional when the crowd was clapping. I also did not focus on whether a competitor had passed me and was ahead. My goal was to focus on myself and execution. If I did that, I could jump as far as I wanted to and would be a better athlete. If I focus on the ancillary items, that leads to a loss of concentration and poor performance. I figured out fairly early that, if I locked in on myself, I would put myself in position to be successful. I did that and was fortunate to be able to hold that level of concentration throughout the years.

GCR:

Your personal best long jump, which puts you as the fifth-best performer all-time, of 8.74 meters, or 28 feet, eight and three-quarter inches, to win the 2009 Prefontaine Classic was done into a headwind. Was this the closest you came to a perfect jump and how much of a goal was the 29-foot level?

It was definitely my goal to reach 29 feet. In that particular competition, I was jumping against Irving Salidino, and he had been dominant for the previous three years. That day it was about winning. No matter what my competitors jumped, my goal was to jump further. If it meant jumping the World Record, that is where we would take it. I was in great shape. I was super-fast and super explosive. It was unfortunate that, on my very first jump, when I jumped 27 feet, ten inches, I may have been right at the World Record. But I was a shoe and a half behind the takeoff board. Then on my fourth jump when I reached 8.74 meters, there was that headwind. If I hit the board on my first jump and you take away that headwind in the fourth round, I would have been jumping in the 29-foot range that day. As you can see, that is probably the most difficult World Record out there. Since 1968, it has only been broken once. That is a testament that it isn’t just about speed, only about power, or simply about technique. You have to have all three components to jump as far as the 29-foot barrier.

GCR:

You know how challenging it is to stay consistent for many years, which you did with your six global championships and eight long jumps over 28 feet. What are your thoughts on Carl Lewis winning four straight Olympic Gold Medals in the long jump, leaping over 28 feet an amazing 71 times, and accomplishing this while also competing at the highest level in the 100 meters, 200 meters and four by 100-meter relay?

In my eyes, Carl Lewis is the greatest track and field athlete of all time. There are athletes who are great at the 100 meters but, when you add in the 200 meters, the four by 100-meter relay and the long jump, you have to be smart and a student of the sport. You have to have the proper technique to jump over 28 feet more than 70 times. You also have to be blessed with talent. Carl Lewis had everything. He had the height, technique, and speed for the long jump. There aren’t many athletes I have seen out there during the last twenty years who have the combination of attributes to jump that far and eclipse the 29-foot barrier. You have to be a complete athlete.

GCR:

During your professional career, you crossed paths regularly with certain competitors. One you met often at the Olympic Trials and U.S. Championships was Miguel Pate. Though you finished ahead of Miguel several times, from 2001 to 2008 he was ahead of you five times at the Olympic Trials and U.S. Championships. How was Miguel as a competitor, and do any of your other U.S. teammates stand out?

Miguel was good and was a great athlete. I believe he broke the indoor collegiate record in 2002 or 2003. He beat me at several U.S. Championships, but I beat him at every global championship. He definitely had a lot of explosive ability when he came off the board. No matter how far he ended up jumping, his jumps always looked far because he got so much height. He was a great competitor as was Savante Stringfellow who, unfortunately, had injuries limit his career.

GCR:	After retiring from competition, you have kept close to the sport as a SPIRE Track and Field Ambassador, as Chairman of the USATF Athlete Advisory Committee and as founder of The Winners Circle Track Club. You also lend yourself to the efforts of other Olympians such as Sharrieffa Barksdale. How important and exciting is it for you to give back to the sport of track and field?
DP	Track and field has become part of my identity so it is always special. I like to pour myself back into the current athletes. As USATF Athlete Advisory Committee Chairman, I wanted to see the sport evolve and to see the talent benefit more than the previous generation. I was very fortunate to help and to make it better in some ways.

GCR:

How rewarding is it to coach elite athletes and how different is it to motivate them versus your self-motivation as a competitor?

As it pertains to working with athletes, I don’t want to hoard my information. It feels good to help athletes achieve amazing feats. A prime example is this year when I trained Maurice Gleaton, and he broke the high school record in the 100 meters with a 9.92 time. That felt better than when I won Olympic Gold. I know that the improvement in my athletes is partly because of my ability to communicate with them, have it resonate, and then transfer to them being able to execute at a high level and to make history. It was amazing this year to be a part of Maurice’s success. When you motivate yourself, it is intrinsic. You wake up and know you have a desired outcome. Then you work toward that desired outcome to accomplish your goals. You must be very selfish as a professional athlete who desires to be the absolute best. The difference when you become a coach is that you have to be selfless. You have to pour yourself into these athletes and their insecurities and weaknesses. When they are low you have to bring them up. When they are too high, you have to keep them level. Since you have to be so selfless, not everyone can do so, especially athletes who accomplished a lot in the sport. As a coach, we can’t compare ourselves to our athletes because each person has their own unique story and their own unique journey. Each has different aspects to execute in order to reach their desired outcome. I am a vehicle to help athletes I coach get to where they want to go. I have made mistakes as an athlete, and I can help prevent them from making the same mistakes. Coaching is an extremely rewarding feeling when I am on the selfless side of the sport.

GCR:

OLYMPICS AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS In order to compete in the Olympic Games, first an athlete must make the team. You mentioned earning the Silver Medal at the 2000 Olympic Trials - how tough was the competition as all eight finalists jumped over 26 feet and, even though you were in the top three, anyone had the chance to knock you off? And how exciting was it when the competition ended and you were ‘Dwight Phillips, Olympian,’ and no one could ever take that away from you?

There is a back story from 1999 when we had our team meeting with Coach Greg Kraft at Arizona State. He specifically told me, ‘This year you aren’t going to compete very much because I am preparing you to make the Olympic team next year.’ I said, ‘Do you think I can make it? Do you think I can beat Erick Holder and Robert Wilder, guys who are in the U.S. top ten in history?’ And he said, ‘I know you can.’ Coach saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He planted that seed and that was all I thought about. ‘I’m going to make that Olympic team.’ Everything I did from that point on – nutrition, weight room work, visualization, my attitude, every workout – I approached as if I was going to be an Olympian. I rehearsed it so much throughout the year. Even when I was second at NCAAs indoors and outdoors, I believed those meets were just a rehearsal. My goal was to make the team. In Sacramento at the Olympic Trials, I was rewarded because of my drive and believing in myself. That second place at the Olympic Trials didn’t seem real.

GCR:

In Sydney, Australia at the 2000 Olympics, you made the final and finished in eighth place. Did you march in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies? And was it joyful taking in the Olympic experience and setting the stage for future success?

I didn’t have any goal to win a medal at the Olympics. My goal had been to get there. It was incredibly special. At the Opening Ceremonies, I had a chance to walk in with Angelo Taylor and Terrance Trammell. We were all from Decatur, Georgia. It was ironic to have three guys who competed against each other in high school who were all on the Olympic team. That gave me chills. Not many people envisioned me making that team. But I had reached the pinnacle and was actually there. I wanted to give my best and wanted to win a medal. In the history of the Olympics, there were maybe only two Olympics when the U.S. didn’t have at least one medalist in the long jump. Unfortunately, that is what happened. I finished in eighth place, and the U.S. didn’t have a medalist for the first time in many years. I felt bad about that.

GCR:

Let’s move forward to the 2003 season where we have already spoken about the World Championships indoors. At the 2003 World Championships outdoors in Paris there was a three-way tussle for the medals with Yago Lamela, James Beckford of Jamaica and you. Can you give us some insight into that competition as you led early at 8.09 meters, Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana took the second round lead at 8.13, then in round three Lamela jumped 8.12 with Beckford at 8.16 and you leading at 8.22 meters, followed by all three of you improving in round five with Lamela at 8.22, Beckford at 8.28, and you popping your winning leap of 8.32 meters?

James Beckford was always tough. He was in the top ten all-time and had jumped far, around 8.68 meters. He was dangerous at all times. Yago was a 28-foot jumper as well. I hadn’t jumped 28 feet at that point. I knew it was going to be tough to repeat beating Yago because he wanted to win that World Championship indoors and I knew he was disappointed. James was notorious for his last-round jumping to win a medal. I knew I wanted to be in the driver’s seat and be the last person to take a jump. I felt that, if I was the final jumper, no matter what may happen, I could pass anyone in that final round.

GCR:

You mentioned that in the 2000 Olympics no U.S. men earned medals in the long jump. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, it was so different as you led off the competition with a big leap of 8.59 meters in round one which stood as the Gold Medal jump. Then your teammate, John Moffitt, jumped 8.47 meters in round five for the Silver Medal. How cool was it for you to hit that first round mark that set the tone, to go Gold-Silver with your teammate and to be on the podium and hear the National Anthem played for your achievement?

It felt really good because, after the 2000 Olympics, I got a phone call from this guy named Carl Lewis. He said, and this is verbatim, ‘Hi, can I speak with Dwight Phillips?’ I don’t even know how he got my phone number, but he got it. I said, ‘This is he.’ He answered, ‘This is Carl Lewis. What happened at the 2000 Olympics is unacceptable. We don’t lose the long jump. It is your responsibility now, so don’t let it happen again.’ So, I had the pressure from the G.O.A.T. Carl said it in a way that I knew he expected me to be the leader of the U.S. effort and I could call him for advice. We talked every now and then and he said, ‘The key is to put pressure on the other jumpers early. If you can jump farther than their personal best jump, you will eliminate ninety-five percent of the competition.’ So, I started training to jump far on the first jump with pure concentration. I was in the shape of my life. After that first round, I pressed to jump further but kept fouling. In training, I was jumping as far as I did at the Olympics with only a twelve-step approach. I was supposed to jump far at the Olympics, and I knew I was going to win. I was very prepared. The feeling wasn’t quite the same as it did when I won the World Championships in 2003. There was uncertainty in 2003. By the time I got to the Olympics, there was no way I was going to lose.

GCR:	The next year at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland there was a similar competition as you jumped 8.60 meters on your first jump, and no one was close as Ignisious Gaisah was second at 8.34 meters and Finland’s Tommi Evila was third at 8.25 meters. Was it just the same plan and execution to pop a big one early and no one could get you?
DP	By the time I got to the 2005 World Championships, I was running fast. I ran 6.47 seconds for 60 meters. I was doing my sprint workouts in Helsinki with Maurice Greene and all the other great sprinters, and I was running times that were very equal to their times. I knew I was in great shape. Nobody stood a chance. As long as I was healthy, I felt I could jump as far as I needed to for the win.

GCR:

At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Irving Saladino of Panama won the Gold Medal with an 8.57-meter leap, with Andrew Howe of Italy’s national Record earning the Silver Medal at 8.47 meters while your 8.30 leap on your first jump scored you the Bronze Medal. What were the factors that year and at that competition that led to you taking a couple steps backwards?

There was complacency. The drive and determination within me that led me to win the 2003 World Championships, 2004 Olympics, and 2005 World Championships was hard to maintain at the same level of emotion. Keeping the physical drive for many years had been a long road for me from 2000 to 2005. Those six years I poured every ounce of my soul into trying to be the absolute best. Then in 2006 there wasn’t a major global championship, and I knew I could relax a bit. I ended up relaxing too much and that complacency carried over into 2007. Life happened as I got married and had my first child and it took a while to get back in shape. All those things changed the way I approached training. The selfishness I had to be great wasn’t as pronounced. I needed to be a little more selfish to compete at that level.

GCR:

In 2008 you had a combination of injuries and marriage and kids affecting you going into the Olympic Trials. How disappointing was it as you finished in fourth place behind Miguel Pate as he jumped 26 feet, eleven and three-quarters inches with you two centimeters behind at 26 feet, eleven inches? Was that crushing?

It was and it wasn’t because I had missed nine weeks of training due to a torn muscle in my pubic symphysis. I couldn’t run. But I felt that I had to try to make the team. I barely made it into the final with my qualifying jump. I don’t know how I did, but I think it was pure competitiveness that allowed me to finish fourth and almost make the team. I tried one more competition afterwards and decided that maybe this was my time to wrap it up as I had had a great career. I was thinking about hanging up my spikes.

GCR:

That didn’t happen as you came back to earn another Gold Medal at the 2009 World Championships as you jumped 8.40 meters in round one and extended that to 8.54 meters in round two to hold off Godfrey Khorso Mokoena of South Africa who jumped 8.47 meters in round two and Mitchell Watt of Australia who leaped 8.37 meters. What changed to rekindle the fire within you after you thought about retiring from the sport?

I rededicated myself. I lost excess weight. I got a new coach, Loren Seagrave, who taught me how to run more efficiently. He gave me training tools that helped me and also taught me how to coach others. His information was so simple that I couldn’t believe no one had taught me like this. It started out hard as it was different, but I committed to his process. I learned how to execute and how to explain his nuances that it takes to be a great athlete. We worked on certain mechanics that entire year and I started seeing the benefits around May of 2009. I started off that year with an 8.59 long jump which was my best start to any season. Then I ran a personal best in the 100 meters. I knew that, once I had the speed, there was no other jumper in the world who could do what I could do. When I had the speed, I could be dangerous. I was fortunate to have Loren Seagrave teach me how to be a better athlete.

GCR:

When the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea came around you were now thirty-four years old and on the edge of where it is more difficult to hold on to the athleticism necessary to compete on the world stage, but you did hold on. You earned the Gold Medal with an 8.45 jump ahead of Mitchell Watt at 8.33 meters and Ngonidzashe Makusha at 8.29 meters. Also, you were assigned the bib number 1111, which had four ones, and you won your fourth World Championships outdoors. What was it like to win again at age thirty-four and to have that cool bib number?

It was incredible. Fortunately, I had a bye into the meet since I had won the 2009 World Championships. I only finished tenth at the 2011 U.S. Championships due to injuries. I had an Achilles tendon injury that was very troublesome. But after the U.S. Championships, I got in six weeks of very solid training as I wasn’t in pain. Going into the World Championships, I was uncertain how I would do. Track and Field News didn’t even have me predicted to make the final. I had made the final at every previous global championship, and I took that personally. I found whatever motivation I needed. Honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to perform until, in the qualifying round, I had a season’s best of 8.32 meters. Every time that I had the top qualifying mark, I had won the World Championships. I was thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll win.’ I looked at my bib number. Allen Johnson was there, and he was like a big brother to me. I have a huge amount of respect for him. He was one of my idols. He was an athlete liaison. I said, ‘Hey Allen, look at my bib number! It has four ones on it! I think this means I’m going to win my fourth World title just like you.’ He said, ‘Yeah, pretty much.’ After that, I thought it was destiny. I knew I wasn’t the most talented athlete out there that day. Mitchell Watt had jumped over twenty-eight feet, and Ngoni Makusha had broken the collegiate record. The kid had jumped twenty-seven feet, ten inches and was incredible. I didn’t have the speed or the pop that those two guys had. But I had experience that they didn’t have. I think the moment was too big for them. Mitchell was expected to win. It was Ngoni’s first major championship. But I had experience and knew that, if I followed my recipe, I could put myself in position to win. Those guys didn’t have the experience I did, and I was fortunate to come out victorious.

GCR:

As your career was winding down, you missed the 2012 Olympics as you were in a car accident and sustained back and neck injuries, had a recurrence of that Achilles tendon injury, had surgery, and missed the 2012 season. You came back in 2013, though not at full strength, made the U.S. team for the 2013 World Championships Moscow and finished in eleventh place. How was that whole experience of adversity, coming back and doing your best in 2013 though the Gold Medal, or any medal, may have been out of reach?

The script for me had been that I wanted to finish up in 2012. But I tore my Achilles tendon, got in that car accident and it was bad. My ankle swelled up from the Achilles tendon injury, and I knew in 2013 that I wasn’t the athlete I once was. It was time for the new generation to take over. Maybe I could have come back and jumped 8.15 meters, but I wanted to win. If I was going to continue, I wanted to be able to put myself in position to win. I knew that after 2013 I had served my time. It was time to retire. I was grateful. I wasn’t disappointed in my place because I wasn’t at my best. I did marginally foul one jump that could have won a Bronze Medal. But I had a great run, was truly fortunate and did a lot of great things in the sport that very few athletes had done.

GCR:

YOUTH ATHLETICS, HIGH SCHOOL, AND COLLEGIATE COMPETITION You mentioned earlier that, when you started out competing in track and field when you were eight years old that you had no idea where it would lead. Were you an active child as a youth, in what sports did you compete and, as you said, that 1984 Olympics propelled your interest in track and field?

I was like every other kid and tried basketball and football. Basketball was my first love. I was good at basketball and was recruited for that sport when I was in high school. But I was better at track and field. I started at age eight in track and field and also played football and basketball. I also tried tennis and ran cross country. But my best discipline was track and field. On the track, I ran the mile, two-mile, 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. On the field, I did the long jump, high jump, and triple jump. I tried it all. The event that chose me in the end was the long jump.

GCR:	I didn’t find you listed in any results in the 1993 Georgia State meet results from your freshman year. Did you compete at State as a freshman or were you eliminated in qualifying meets?
DP	My ninth-grade year I made it to State, and it was an epic failure. I qualified in the 400 meters and didn’t make the final. I qualified in the high jump and jumped no height. In the four by 400-meter relay, we were disqualified because I ran out of the exchange zone. That was bad.

GCR:

You rebounded in tenth grade in 1994, taking third in the long jump behind Octavious Jones of Monroe in Albany who won in 22-10 and Ephron Crump of Cairo and were on your Tucker High School Silver Medal four by 100-meter relay squad behind Harper High School with your teammates Cory Robinson, Tim Pardue and Gerald Williams. What do you recall for the Georgia State Championships your sophomore year?

We were competing so well all year. We didn’t perform as well as expected at State that year.

GCR:

At the 1995 Georgia State Championships your junior year, you finished second in the 400 meters behind Robert Wilson of Westlake who ran 47.69 seconds, third in the long jump behind Donate White of Colombia who jumped 23-10 and Craig Geter of Monroe and second in the high jump behind Craig Geter who jumped six feet, ten inches. Tucker High School won both relays as, in the four by 100-meter relay, Tim Pardue, Cory Robinson, Gerald Williams, and you raced 41.43 seconds and in the four by 400-meter relay Tim Pardue, Derek Ward, Gerald Williams, and you raced 3:18.67 seconds. Additionally, Tucker crushed the team competition with 68 points, far ahead of Colombia’s 34 points? What are your takeaways from that great day?

We won State as a team. We broke the State Record in the four by 100-meter relay. That was a great year. I had a lot of responsibility on that team. It was hard for me because we had a particularly good basketball team that always went deep into the State tournament. We made it to the State quarterfinals which coincided with the track and field season. So, I didn’t even get into decent shape until around the State meet since I had been playing basketball.

GCR:

Your senior year at the 1996 Georgia State Championships, you won the 400 meters in 48.41 ahead of Larikus Scott, finished second in the long jump behind Rodi Coverson of Westlake who jumped 24-1.5 and won the triple jump in 50-1.75 in front of Henry Dasher of Appling County. As a team, Corey Robinson, Derek Ward, Atar Green, and you won the four by 400-meter relay in 3:19.02 and Tucker repeated as State Champions with 66 points ahead of Lithonia’s 36 points and Oconee County’s 30 points. Isn’t it amazing that you won two individual State Championships, but not in the long jump?

First, in basketball we won the State Championship which prolonged the basketball season even more. I tell everybody all the time that, in the long jump, I wasn’t a high school state champ and was not an NCAA champ, but I was a U.S. champ. World champ and Olympic Gold Medalist. The takeaway is to always be steadfast and give it your best. You never know when your time is going to come. But if you have the drive, the determination, and the mindset, and stay tenacious, your time will manifest eventually. That is my testimony to young students. I can tell them that I wasn’t a champion in high school or the NCAA, but I was still able to achieve the highest of heights at the pinnacle of the sport.

GCR:

What colleges did you consider and how did you end up leaving your home state of Georgia and signing with Kentucky?

I was a two-sport athlete and my junior year there were the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Georgia Dome. One night I was playing in the quarterfinals of the State basketball tournament. I was a starter on the team but, for some reason, the coach didn’t play me that much. Afterward, I told my mom, ‘I don’t feel like I did much. I want to go to the track meet to see what I can do.’ I hadn’t been training and didn’t think my coach would find out. I figured nobody would say anything because no one would even know I competed. But I somehow broke the State high school record in the long jump. There was a sportswriter and, the next thing I knew, I was on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the next day. Coach Darrell Anderson was there and said, ‘We want you at Kentucky. I don’t need to know anything else. I know that you haven’t been training for the long jump. We want you.’ He was the very first coach to recruit me. I knew that I wanted to go there at that competition.

GCR:

I reviewed some of your meet results when you competed for Kentucky and you competed strongly at 400 meters and in the triple jump. What were some of your highlights when you were at Kentucky?

I didn’t have a formal coach until I got to Kentucky. On my first day at practice, I met all the guys and was sizing everybody up. On the second day of practice, I’ll never forget that Coach Edrick ‘Flo’ Floreal, who is now the head coach at Texas said, ‘If you focus on the long jump, I think that one day you can make it to the Olympics and be special in the event.’ I told him, ‘No disrespect Coach, but I’m a quarter horse. I run 400 meters and am a natural runner. So, for two years at Kentucky I was a very mediocre runner in the 400 meters.

GCR:

What was the impetus behind transferring to Arizona State and how did it play out upon your arrival?

Coach Anderson took the job at Arizona State the day I enrolled at the University of Kentucky. So, I gave it two years with Coach Florial. I decided that after my sophomore year I wanted to pursue the 400 meters to the best of my ability and that would be with Coach Anderson. When I arrived there, I was told I would be running the 400 meters. But the Head Coach, Greg Kraft, told me there had been a change of plans because one of the jumpers from junior college who was supposed to attend Arizona State decided to go to another college and I was the only one who could be a jumper since I did jump in high school and at Kentucky. We got into a dispute because I told him I was a 400-meter runner and not a jumper. He gave me an ultimatum that I could either jump or go home. I dreaded going to jump practice every day. I thought it was stupid because I was a 400-meter runner. But that year my best long jump was eighth, I believe, in the world.

GCR:

I’d like to ask you about one early meet in particular. During the 1999 indoor season at the Double Dual you won the long jump with a leap of 25-7.5, second-best in Arizona State indoor history, won the triple jump with a mark of 50-10.25, which was then the fourth-best in ASU history, and won the 200 meters with a school indoor record time of 21.31. Was this a turning point in what you thought you could do and did this put you on a different pathway?

I would say so. That 25 feet, seven and a half inches was my first, or one of my first, times over twenty-five feet and I couldn’t believe I jumped that far. It was amazing. I thought, ‘Maybe I can be good at the long jump.’ I received a lot of recognition from jumping well. Even though I dreaded the training, the only thing I knew was to work hard and to give my best effort. I hated it every day but gave my best effort each day. Many times coaches see the greatness in an athlete that you don’t see in yourself. I definitely didn’t see it. Coach Kraft saw it and watched it unfold.

GCR:

You finished second in the long jump at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships, leaping twenty-five feet, three-and-a-half inches as Maurice Wignall of George Mason won in 26 feet, one-and-a-half inches in a close competition as Adrian Cumberbatch of George Mason, Frank Young of Indiana State and George Audu of Penn State were all within an inch of you. Then at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships you placed fourth in both the long jump and triple jump at 26 feet even and 53 feet, ten-and-a-quarter inches. Did you meet your expectations and goals with those finishes?

I went into the NCAAs outdoors with the best qualifying jump as I jumped 26 feet, ten inches at the Pac-10 Championships. I never liked the triple jump but did it to score team points. I went into the NCAAs outdoors with high expectations of winning. Melvin Lister won with 26 feet, ten inches that was wind-aided. Melvin Lister also jumped 26-10, Savante Stringfellow jumped well, and I finished fourth.

GCR:

The following year in 2000 both indoors and outdoors the NCAAs were remarkably close. Melvin Lister won indoors with a 26-feet, eight-and a half inch leap, an inch-and a quarter ahead of you. Savante Stringfellow won outdoors with a 26-feet, nine-and-three quarters inch jump, two inches ahead of you. How frustrating was it to continue as ‘Mister Silver’ at that time?

There was always somebody different. That is how it unfolded over and over again. Sometimes when an athlete wants to win, you have to teach yourself how to win. You must have positive affirmations even in those moments of self-doubt. You have to starve those negative emotions and focus on the ultimate goal. I learned how to not deviate to negative thoughts and to stick to the script. In order to reach the ultimate level and to win, there have to be positive affirmations many, many times.

GCR:

OTHER MAJOR COMPETITIONS At both the 2001 and 2002 U.S Championships, Savante Stringfellow won, with Miguel Pate second and you in third place. Does anything stand out other than the fact that the three of you were at the top in the U.S. and were working hard to do your best and to win?

At the time, I was still new to the long jump and didn’t know how to use my strengths. I was just running and jumping. I would just try to jump as far as I could. I was thinking about stopping competing after the 2002 season ended but came home and tried some different techniques. I had always run as fast as I could down the runway from beginning to end. But I tried to run with gradual acceleration, and I jumped twenty-seven feet. So, at the end of the 2002 season, I went on a rampage and was beating everybody. I beat Ivan Pedroso for the first time. I beat James Beckford. I was beating everybody. Once I learned that it wasn’t about just running fast but about how you distribute your energy, that helped me become more consistent as a jumper. I figured out the recipe. I was the fastest jumper but didn’t know how to distribute my energy. When I jumped with and watched Savante and Miguel, it motivated me to want to be my best. So, it was great jumping with them both.

GCR:	You mentioned having a letdown after winning the 2005 World Championships. At the 2006 U.S. Championships Brian Johnson jumped 26 feet, seven inches to narrowly edge you at 26 feet, six-and-a-quarter inch with Miguel Pate a close third place with a 26 feet, one-and-a-half inch jump. Were you going through the motions with all of the other distractions?
DP	I was out there competing but was being pulled in so many different directions. I was present but wasn’t really there.

GCR:

The following year, when you won the Bronze Medal at Worlds, you did win the 2007 U.S. Championships 2007 with a leap of 27 feet, five-and-a-quarter inch ahead of both Miguel Pate and Trevell Quinley who both jumped 27 feet, one half inch. Even though you weren’t as focused as in prior years, how strong was your desire to still win that U.S. Championship?

In 2007, as in other years, I showed up to win. Honestly, I can’t believe that I came out victorious that year. It was absolutely incredible. I was training with Tom Tellez that year, which was a great learning experience, but my focus wasn’t there. I started partying, staying out late and having fun. I did all the things that I didn’t do in college. I was doing this at the age of thirty and was completely unfocused. I still was winning meets and only lost at Worlds and maybe one other meet. But I didn’t even deserve to win a Bronze Medal at Worlds.

GCR:

We’ve discussed many global and U.S. Championships. But I went through the World Athletics results as best as I could and for other international competitions, you were on 93 podiums with 61 victories including in Helsinki, Monaco, Shanghai, Moscow, Rome, Madrid, Glasgow, Zurich. I’ve been a spectator at the Weltklasse in Zurich and Hercules in Monaco. What did it feel like to win so many Gold Medals all over the world, especially in Europe with the knowledgeable fans? And do any competitions stand out particularly?

I enjoyed all of these meets, especially in England where the people were so excited to see us and were true track and field fans. It was like we were in the NBA of NFL here in the United States. They knew who we were in restaurants or at the mall. Casual people would walk up to get our autographs. I liked Greece, Paris and so many other great experiences all over the world. My responsibility was to run and jump into dirt and people would cheer. That was my job, and I got paid for it. What more could I ask for? That was amazing.

GCR:

MISCELLANEOUS AND WRAPUP How exciting was it in 2018, to be inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame where the all-time greats in our sport are recognized?

It felt great, but I felt it was a little too premature. It had only been five years since I was out of the sport. But it was incredible. I was thinking, ‘Why me? Why now?’ When I was told about being selected, I had tears rushing down from my eyes. When I received that phone call, I was speechless. I did feel like I deserved induction, though it came up fast. It was truly great because my mom was going through cancer treatment at the time and was at Hospice and she got a chance to witness my induction. If there was anybody who was my fan, she was the biggest one ever. For my mom to witness my going into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, it was God’s timing. It was most important to have my kids and my mom experience that day. It was a great feeling.

GCR:	Dwight, you are a relatively young man in your late forties. What do you do now for fitness and health?
DP	I work out the majority of days. I lift weights and do my weekly miles and sprints. Since I train youth athletes, I am always doing training drills and showing kids how to execute aspects of training. I eat clean, get plenty of rest and feel that, if I want to instruct kids for a living, I need to be able to reflect good habits when they look to me.

GCR:

When you are coaching or speaking to groups, how do you utilize the major lessons you have learned during your life from the discipline of athletics, balancing the many facets of life, and overcoming adversity that all comes together in the ‘Dwight Phillips philosophy’ of being your best as an athlete and in life?

It starts with being a good person and giving your best effort. You always must give your best effort, even if you don’t end up reaching the desired outcome. People are always looking at me, and I am a role model. I show how to deal with adversity, be positive, and to uplift others. That is innate in who I am. I think if more people have the drive and determination to do their best, they will never have to say, ‘What if?’ I don’t want people to say, ‘If I had finished school,’ ‘If I had worked harder,’ or ‘If I had followed the path I was destined for,’ I wouldn’t be here. It doesn’t have to be a ‘What if?’ Just do it. Just be that person and great things will evolve within you.

	Inside Stuff
Hobbies/Interests	I enjoy photography. I was one of the few athletes who took many photographs at global championships. It’s a hobby but it is something I could do for work if I wanted to
Nicknames	Most people use my initials and call me ‘DP’
Favorite movies	I love all the warrior movies like ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Gladiator.’ I like the fighting aspect, overcoming adversity and defending their land
Favorite TV shows	‘The Cosby Show’ which I used to watch with my mom
Favorite music	I’m from Atlanta and like all genres. It doesn’t matter if it’s Country, Pop, Top 100, or Rap. My favorite artist is Outkast
Favorite books	I am always reading self-help books
First car	Ford Taurus
Current car	Jeep Grand Cherokee
First Job	I worked with my uncle’s lawn service
Family	My parents both were great examples. My kids are doing great. I have two boys and a girl and I love them. They are good students and are athletic. I desire to be a great father and to set them up so they can be a little better than me
Pets	We have had no pets
Favorite breakfast	I’m not necessarily a big breakfast guy
Favorite meal	I am a huge fan of eating pasta
Favorite beverages	I love Sprite and sparkling water
First running memory	I remember that I supposedly lost a race at a school field day to this guy that I clearly beat. But the coach said I came in second place
Athletic heroes	In track and field, Carl Lewis and Allen Johnson. In other sports, Magic Johnson and Tony Dorsett
Childhood dreams	Playing in the NBA
Embarrassing moment	I was in Fiji one time and was to run in this exhibition race with a guy who had donated a lot of money. They instructed me to come in second place behind him. So, I was running and running and, at the very last moment, instead of pulling back, I leaned forward and won the race. My body just wouldn’t let me lose
Favorite places to travel	In the U.S., I like Miami. I like traveling abroad and in Europe to many different places. Greece is a favorite
Choose a Superhero – Batman, Superman, or Spiderman?	Superman
Choose a theme park – Disney World or Universal Orlando?	Universal Orlando
Choose a Sylvester Stallone - Rocky or Rambo?	Rocky
Choose a comedian – Kevin Hart or Chris Rock?	Neither – Eddie Murphy
Choose the beach or mountains?	The mountains
Choose a tough guy – Vin Diesel or The Rock?	Vin Diesel
Choose swcret agent coolness - James Bond 007 or IMF Agent Ethan Hunt?	James Bond 007