Chambers wins on comeback

Athletics:   Dwain Chambers won his comeback race in style at the Birmingham Games but he was left uncertain about whether he…

Athletics:  Dwain Chambers won his comeback race in style at the Birmingham Games but he was left uncertain about whether he will be given the go-ahead to compete for a place at the World Indoor Championships.

Chambers began the day bidding to secure a 60 metres qualifying time of 6.90 seconds for the indoor trials in Sheffield on Sunday week.

Not only did he secure that in the first round, when he won his heat in 6.70, he then took the semi-final in 6.63 before crossing the line first in the final in 6.60, a meeting record by one-hundredth of a second.

The Belgrave Harrier, who served a two-year drugs ban after he failed a test for the steroid THG in 2003, beat Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, of Sutton and District, second in 6.69, with Ryan Moseley, of Shaftesbury Barnet, third in 6.77.

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Chambers still needs to have an official invitation to the trials by UK Athletics, whose chief executive, Niels de Vos, has publicly spoken of his unhappiness about the whole saga because the sprinter was not on the UK Sport drugs-testing programme from November 2006.

Chambers went back on the list last month but he stressed it was UKA's decision to take him off it, not his.

He said: "I am trying to be diplomatic because I do not want to hinder my chances of getting to the trials.

"I never took myself off the drugs register at all. It was their decision and unfortunately because of that, it has left both of us in a sticky situation.

"I never said I am retiring. I am back on the register and about three weeks ago I was tested. I always kept the IAAF informed about where I was.

"I have been preparing really well and I believe I am in good shape to go and do well at the World Indoors."

It is the second occasion Chambers has tried to re-ignite his athletics career after his drugs suspension.

In 2006, he ran for Britain at the European Championships in Gothenburg where he was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team before seeking pastures new in American football, a project which failed but one which he has not given up on.

He said: "I have been training since early October and I am pleased with the preparation so far. But it is still early days.

"Today is an area of fitness which I want to get over and see where my mind stands.

"I am going to let my legs do the talking and let the lawyers do all the negotiating and hopefully we can come to a mutual agreement with UK Athletics and most people will be happy. I want to concentrate on running.

"I have been training at Lee Valley in the evenings. I am self-coached, I am self-motivated. I am my own boss. I get up when I want, I train when I want."

He stressed he is now a clean athlete after the events of 2003.

He said: "It was a long time ago. It was my mistake. I am here to prove that I can do it clean and I want to use myself as an example of that and I am here to show what positive things I can do to help the sport.

"It is difficult and at the end of the day, there is no-one else to blame but myself. Because of my actions, it has had an ongoing effect and it will have an effect for the rest of my athletics career.

"I have come to terms with that, I am okay with it and the most important thing for me is that I can go out to compete."

But he also added: "American football is still in the pipeline. I am going to see how the World Indoors goes and make my mind up after that."