Gladiator Phantom's life from bobsledding champ to prime time TV show fame

20 January 2024 , 17:55

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The Olympian says appearing on Gladiators is a "dream come true" (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

There are 16 new Gladiators to get to know in the latest revamp of the smash hit '90s TV competition, which is back in a new home on BBC One. One is Phantom, the only Winter Olympian in the new team of strong men and women.

Toby Olubi competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics with the Team GB Bobsleigh Team. The four men crew broke their world record for the fastest ever bobsleigh at the tournament, clocking in at 97mph. Toby was also part of the bobsleigh team that made history by winning Great Britain’s first-ever gold medal in the 2018 Whistler World Cup.

Named fastest bobsledder in the UK Push Championships for four years in a row, it's perhaps no surprise Toby has also enjoyed some success as a sprinter on the track too, winning men's 60m sprints for his county and frequently competing in the British men's 100m sprint Olympic qualifying championships.

Toby has enjoyed success in both bobsledding and sprinting (PA)

Next for the 36-year-old comes Gladiators and South Londoner Toby "couldn't be more proud and grateful" of the opportunity to take on the persona of the mysterious, elusive Phantom. "This is a dream come true for me," said the bobsledder, who has the longest wingspan of all the Gladiators at two metres. "I'm a '90s kids so the Gladiators of the past were my version of real life superheroes. Gladiators is all about stepping up against the odds and bringing the best version of yourself."

The Winter Olympian says Phantom is a hybrid of all the other new male Gladiators. "I’m like a trump or Joker card because if you think about all the things that I'm good at, everyone else has as their main strength," he said. "So, for example, Nitro is really fast but I'm fast as well. Giant’s really big and I'm big as well.

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Phantom (front left) says he is a hybrid of the other male Gladiators (PA)

"You’ve got other factors like the strength of Bionic and Apollo, I’m as strong as them both," he continued. "You’ve got Steel who's like unbreakable, I'm unbreakable too. You've got the cheekiness of Legend, sometimes my cheekiness comes. You’ve got the bad boy Viper, sometimes my bad boy side comes out."

Toby, who works as a fitness presenter and has a degree in history and economics, once appeared on a TV contest before, Channel 4's Deal Or No Deal, winning £12,000 and putting it towards pursuing his bobsleigh dream.

Watch Gladiators on Saturdays at 5.50pm, BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Vikki White