TIMES are hard for Dwain Chambers.
Demonised by athletics chiefs, rejected by the Euromeetings group who organise the summer grands prix, a pariah for UK Sport who exclude him from any financial handouts, the man who may well win a medal at next weekend's world indoor championships is
now reduced to offering his thoughts to Britain's best-selling red-tops in exchange for money.
Whether there will any takers remains to be seen, but it is symptomatic of the penniless position Chambers finds himself in that the offer was made at all. If he continues to be spurned by organisers this coming summer, he will have serious concerns about how long he can continue in the sport.
Even if he wins the 60m on Friday evening, that would only bring him in $40,000. As talented as he is, the extra $50,000 on offer for a world record is beyond him. In any case, it would have to be set against the $120,000 he is thought to owe the world governing body in prize money. But while, on the one hand courting the press, Chambers' relationship with the fourth estate took an interesting turn on Friday when his lawyer, Nick Collins, confirmed that a letter has been sent to a national broadsheet threatening court action if it does not apologise for its misleading headline concerning Chambers' room-mate in Valencia.
The issue of who will share a room with the Belgrave Harrier is no more of a problem than with any other athlete on the team according to UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins. But because his training partner, Simeon Williamson, has said he prefers not to share with a rival for the same title, that has been interpreted in one quarter as a rejection of Chambers. "It's a complete nonsense and outrageous," said Nick Collins. "We have sent a letter to the editor demanding an apology and if it is not forthcoming, we will take action."
Collins also confirmed that any possible action against the British Olympic Association over its Olympic ban would only be taken after Valencia. "We have told Dwain to get on with the athletics and then we will look at the options," he said.
Getting on with the action is going to take some sangfroid, however, given the circumstances. Not only is every single step along the route to Valencia being scrutinised, but when he gets there, Chambers is going to find himself up against some useful performers.
At the sprints there is always an American and Mike Rodgers won the US trials in 6.54 last week, 0.02sec faster than Chambers' best this winter. Nigerian Olusoji Fasuba is the swiftest of the entries at 6.51, but at such a short sprint the start is every-thing and matters can go quickly awry for even the best. So far this winter, Chambers has not shown any nerves in that department, but this is by far the biggest challenge he has faced since he returned from his ban in 2005.
Scotland's record holder at the 60m hurdles, Allan Scott, is non-committal on the Chambers question, preferring to focus on the athletics. At one stage two weeks ago he was looking good for a medal, standing second fastest on this year's rankings with his 6.52sec at the Scottish championships. But since then there have been a number of fast times, not least from his conqueror in the Birmingham grand prix two weeks ago, American David Oliver. On that occasion Oliver came with a rush over the final hurdle to upset Scott and set a personal best of 7.55. But he reduced that at the American trials by the considerable margin of 0.08, beating former Olympic champion Allen Johnson into the bargain. Ahead of all of them is Cuba's Dayron Robles. The only chance anyone has of beating Robles is if he mistakes a blast of music for a false start and stops – as he did in Paris last week.
Susan Scott goes in her new event, the 1500m. Despite coming up against the favourite for the world title, Bahrain's Maryam Jamal, in Paris, she stuck to her task with the sort of gutsy run associated with her and toppled the 21-year-old record held by Yvonne Murray. Scott is going to be up against it in Valencia, though, as the massed ranks of eastern Europeans and Africans may expose her lack of experience at this level.
SMITH'S RECORDDUNFERMLINE sprinter Nick Smith turned the clock back four years to smash his own Scottish native record with a time of 6.64 secs in capturing the 60 metres title at the DM Hall Scottish Indoor Championships at the Kelvin Hall.
Smith, 25, set the previous record of 6.66secs in 2004, the year he went on to claim a place in the British Olympic relay squad in Athens. His time yesterday was inside the World Indoor Qualifying standard though too late for selection for next week's event in Valencia. Smith held off Beijing-bound Irish training partner Paul Hession (6.69 secs) with a fighting finish, with Dundee's Jon Oparka third.
Smith said: "I'll have to run quite a bit quicker before I think of making the Olympics again."
Loughborough-based student teacher Gemma Werrett clipped .02sec from Joc Kirby's 18-year-old Scottish native 60 metres hurdles record in winning in 8.50sec.
The full article contains 910 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
