ATHLETICS: For one great servant of German athletics tonight in Munich represents a sort of homecoming. Dieter Baumann spent most of the last 14 years collecting medals - most memorably gold at the 1992 Olympics - and in tonight's 10,000 metres final he hopes to add one more, writes Ian O'Riordan

But it is also a return to his home crowd after a tiresome three-year legal battle to clear his name. Baumann tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in October and November of 1999, and for an athlete who had spent years as an anti-doping campaigner it was the ultimate setback.

He denied knowingly taking anything illegal and argued that his toothpaste was spiked with the drug. Various accusations for and against emerged but Baumann's uneasy relationship with the German athletics federation suggested enough reason for a possible stitch-up.

Now aged 37, Baumann's best years are behind him. Yesterday he spoke briefly about the future, but preferred to forget about the past. "I want to feel welcome here," he said. "I care about how the public will react towards me. I think I'll be cheered on by many fans but I don't have anything to prove, neither to my critics nor to my friends. But I feel relaxed, fit and in great form. Five or six runners can get a medal here and I know I'm one of them."

Baumann ended up serving almost a three-year suspension - two years for the offence and another 12 months after he ran in the German indoor championships last year. At the time a German court ruled he was free to compete but the IAAF stood by their original suspension.

He was cleared to compete earlier this year and set his comeback for the Hamburg marathon in April. Though he failed to finish there, he still ran 27 minutes 21.53 seconds for 10,000 metres on his return to the track. It remains the second fastest time by a European time this season. "I don't think I'll ever become a top marathon runner," he admitted. "My favourite distances are the 5,000 and the 10,000, and I want to prove I'm still good at them."

Originally referred to as the "White Kenyan" due to his smooth, light running style and his ability to battle it out with the African runners, Baumann has just come down from altitude training in the Swiss Alps resort of St Moritz. No one can argue with his championship record and his Olympic gold over 5,000 metres in Barcelona remains one of the enduring images of track running. He took European silver over 10,000 metres four years ago and another medal performance here may well receive one of the warmest receptions all week.

Joining Baumann in the 10,000 metres final is Seamus Power, who, after years of dominating the Irish cross-country scene, finally makes his first major appearance at a track championships. At 31 Power may not be getting any quicker but with a small field of only 17 runners - of which Power is one of only six never to break 28 minutes - it will be far from an overwhelming experience.

Other track finals to be decided tonight includes the race to become the fastest man in Europe. Britain have held the honour since 1986 (Linford Christie three times, then Darren Campbell) and the man most likely to win here is Dwain Chambers. An excruciating muscle cramp wrecked his Commonwealth Games hopes two weeks ago but Chambers looked the part in yesterday's opening heats, finishing the fastest qualifier in 10.23 seconds, and then running 10.08 in round two. Greece's Georgios Theodoridis, second fastest qualifier in 10.25, could spring the first surprise of the championships.