DWAIN Chambers' forays on to the major stages of athletics remain few and far between. Still barred from the Golden League and other major meetings, despite rumblings that the stance of certain promoters may be softening, the controversial Londoner must make the most of his opportunities in the spotlight before disappearing back to the fringe.
Last night, at the European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal, Chambers, pictured, proved again that, even without the aid of performance-enhancing drugs, he is the match of anyone in this continent. Yet his victorious time of 10.07 seconds, a
shade off his season's best, was hardly enough to make Usain Bolt quake in his golden boots.
Still, his ambitions have not regressed, with August's world championships in his sights. "Berlin. Objective number one. And always be number one," he declared. "It won't be easy, but I won't give up."
For once, there were other talking points to divide opinion at the successor event to the European Cup. These championships have attracted criticism for their confusing format due to an increase to 12 participating countries, resulting in the need for two separate finals in the major track events. However, with points from the men's and women's results combining for a single title, Team GB are well-placed for overall victory, sitting joint first with Russia heading into the second day after five wins.
There was a maximum return from David Greene in the 400m hurdles who produced a flying start to see off his rivals with a time of 49.26 seconds. Emily Freeman also took victory in the 100m as did Tim Benjamin in the flat 400 and Mo Farah with an assertive late burst in the 5000,
Scotland's Lee McConnell, who is set to race along side Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu in this evening's 400m relay, looked poised for a triumph in the women's 400 but faded in the home straight come fourth overall. "I'd hoped to go quicker," she said after recording 51.92. "Maybe I went out too quickly and paid for it in the end." Eilidh Child, making her GB debut, was fourth in the 400 metre hurdles.
Making her senior bow this afternoon in the 5,000 metres, Laura Kenney will have to contend with a radical format that left many baffled last night. The Sutton-based Scot has been lapping up the experience of travelling and training beside the team's more experienced competitors after her unexpected selection. However she faces a pressurised test as organisers experiment with reducing the numbers on the track in the latter stages of each race.
"The format's called Devil Take The High Most so I've been told they'll remove the last placed runner with 7, then 5, then 3 laps to go," Kenney explained. "I've never been in a race like that before so I'm not sure what the tactics are. If it's a slow, tactical race, with everyone bunched up, it could get quite exciting. It looks like a strong field. The fastest competitor has done a 14.55 and there are another two with PBs in the low 15 minutes so it will be tough. But it's good to be in that kind of race."
Likewise, Alison Rodger makes her first GB appearance in the shot putt. The 24-year-old Glaswegian has been gearing her preparations towards next month's trials but senses an opportunity to demonstrate her potential to the selectors.
The full article contains 585 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
