Athletics: Chambers storms to gold in Turin

Page last updated at 16:40 GMT, Sunday, 8 March 2009

Chambers storms to gold in Turin

Chambers keen to move on after Euro win

Dwain Chambers was crowned 60m European Indoors champion after crushing the 60m field in a time of 6.46 seconds.

The 30-year-old could not match his semi-final record-breaking efforts and told the BBC: "I wanted to run quicker but I had to concentrate on winning."
After a false start, Simeon Williamson (6.57s) was edged out of the medals into fourth by Italian pair Fabio Cerutti and Emanuele Di Gregorio.
Craig Pickering, second two years ago, had to settle for fifth with 6.61s.
Chambers' autobiography is published on Monday and book extracts criticising Lord Sebastian Coe and questioning Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu's drug testing conduct have all reignited the debate over his continued participation in the sport, helping to overshadow the build-up to this Italian event.
But Chambers, banned in 2003 for a positive drug test, has expressed his determination for closure over his past and has looked determined to let his feet do the talking.
606: DEBATE
Dwain Chambers is looking magnificent. What could he have achieved without drugs?
here comes the three-peat
He added: "Despite what's been going on I've had to keep my head and keep my form. It's been a great privilege to come here.
"It's great to put on a British vest and have some fun. I've been in this situation before where I concentrated on time and I've lost it.
"This is a very important championship for me. I've done what I set out to do so that is what I am pleased about."
During the winter Chambers had already set a season-best mark of 6.51s, equalling the time of American Michael Rodgers, and he was a huge favourite for Sunday's final.
He smashed the British and European record in Saturday's semi-final with a phenomenal time of 6.42s - breaking Jason Gardener's 10-year-old British record by 0.04s and just 0.03s slower than Maurice Greene's world record.
The 23-year-old Williamson, impressive at February's Grand Prix in Birmingham, was the second quickest in the semis with an encouraging strong finish and he will be disappointed not to have clinched a medal.
The gold medal was never in any doubt for Chambers despite having two in-form Italians, cheered on by the local crowd, breathing down his neck, with one tenth of a second separating the Briton and second-placed Cerutti.
Referring to his two-year ban for testing positive for the steroid THG six years ago, Chambers said: "I just hope people let the past be the past now.
Van Commenee slams 'naive' Okoro
"It's gone on for far too long now. It's just great to be here with the team and celebrate in my national colours again. I haven't been able to do that for a while.
"It's good to get back on the medal rostrum again and start re-writing my name in the history books for the right reasons."

Speaking before Turin UKA chief Charles van Commenee said that Chambers' drug ban should be left in the past and that he should be welcomed in the team with open arms.

With much of the media attention continuing to focus on Chambers' past, Van Commenee told BBC 5 Live's Sportsweek ahead of the 60m final: "There is a long history and a big story about him - it's understandable people bring it up.

"But I focus on the performance and I hope one day it will be over. The man is highly motivated - he can only come out a few times a year. When you lock someone up and you open the door he's going to be more eager to run than anytime else.

"He must be drug free at the moment - he has tested almost every day so we know he's clean. If he's running faster than ever it's a positive story for how good someone can be without taking substances."

Athletics: Tomlinson added to GB injury list

Page last updated at 15:08 GMT, Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Tomlinson added to GB injury list:

Venue: Oval Lingotto, Turin Date: 6-8 March Coverage: All live on BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website; live on Saturday and Sunday 1400-1710 GMT on BBC Two Tomlinson won silver at last year's world indoors British long jump record holder Chris Tomlinson has become the fourth GB athlete to pull out of this weekend's European Indoor Championships in Turin. Tomlinson has been struggling with an Achilles injury and feels he is not fully prepared to mount a challenge. Kelly Sotherton cannot compete in the pentathlon because of a heel injury. Long jumper Jade Johnson has a nerve problem in her take-off leg, while 1500m runner Chris Warburton has an injury to his right foot. GB coach Charles van Commenee said: "By competing, they would have jeopardised their outdoor seasons." Tomlinson, last year's world indoor silver medallist, said: "The indoors season hasn't quite progressed as I would have liked and I just feel I'm not in the right shape to do myself justice. "I will focus on getting fit for my warm-weather training stint in San Diego and onwards for the outdoor season." Sotherton, who won bronze in the 2004 Olympics and silver in the last European Indoor Championships, in Birmingham two years ago, has been struggling for some time and her withdrawal was no surprise. Having had to miss the last two indoor meets, Sotherton said at the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham she was hopeful of making Turin, but asked the NIA crowd to "cross their fingers she would be fit". Van Commenee added: "We have taken a cautionary route with all the athletes. Last week we believed Kelly would be able to make it but she suffered a reaction in a crucial training session on Monday morning and has made the decision to pull out." Dwain Chambers, favourite for the 60m, will go head-to-head with Simeon Williamson and Craig Pickering, while Marilyn Okoro (800m) and Mo Farah (3000m) will also be in action after impressing in Birmingham. The Championships start on Friday at the 6,600 capacity Oval Lingotto. GB team: Men: 60m: Dwain Chambers, Craig Pickering, Simeon Williamson 400m: Richard Buck, Nick Leavey 1500m: Neil Speight 3000m: Mark Draper, Mo Farah, Nick McCormick 60m hurdles: Allan Scott, Andy Turner High Jump: Martyn Bernard, Samson Oni Pole Vault: Steve Lewis Long Junp: Greg Rutherford Shot: Carl Myerscough 4x400m: Buck, Dale Garland, Leavey, Nigel Levine, Phil Taylor. Women: 400m: Donna Fraser 800m: Jennifer Meadows, Marilyn Okoro 1500m: Hannah England, Susan Scott 3000m: Katrina Wootton 60m hurdles: Gemma Bennett, Sarah Claxton Pole Vault: Kate Dennison 4x400m: Vicki Barr, Tara Bird, Fraser, Kim Wall, Dawn Wilson

Athletice: Farah breaks record in Birmingham

Page last updated at 20:03 GMT, Saturday, 21 February 2009

Farah breaks record in Birmingham

Highlights - Farah smashes UK record By Mark Ashenden National Indoor Arena, Birmingham Mo Farah knocked more than six seconds off his own British record in winning the 3,000m at the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday. Farah produced a run of seven minutes 34.47 seconds to beat Kenya's Shedrack Korir by more than four seconds. Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu won the 200m after missing out in the 60m. Britain's Simeon Williamson won the 60m in a new personal best of 6.53, but there was bad news for Tyrone Edgar, who suffered a torn hamstring. Great Britain name their squad for the European Indoor Championships on Tuesday, but Edgar will now not travel with the team for Turin because of the injury. "I had an ultrasound on it and they found a hamstring tear on my right leg," he said. "I will be out for two or three weeks and that's the Europeans out for me. That's life I suppose." Dwain Chambers, who was unable to compete in Birmingham as a hangover from his drug ban for a failed test in 2003, is already assured of qualification. Williamson is likely to get the second place, having led the field home in front of new UK Athletics boss Charles van Commenee, who will select the team on Tuesday. Craig Pickering also looks like he has done enough to book a place after his 6.57s in Glasgow. Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory. Highlights - Williamson wins thrilling 60m After his disqualification at the trials last week and a fifth place in Birmingham, Pickering told BBC Sport: "My heat was promising and then the final was pretty terrible. "The false start was playing on my mind and I was apprehensive. "This is just one race but it never helps when people you're running against like Simeon gets a great time. Fair play to him but he's a rival. When he runs well and I run badly it multiplies the anger and disappointment." Speaking about the 6-8 March event in Turin, he added: "I'm more motivated this season because of what happened in Beijing [he dropped the baton in 4x100m relay]. "If I come home with anything less than a medal I will be bitterly disappointed but there's a lot of people running quicker at the moment so I've got to do something about that." Ohuruogu, who won gold in Beijing over 400m, pipped Donna Fraser to victory and afterwards told BBC Sport: "It's great to be back and support the sport and give something back. "I'm now going to the US to sharpen up." Highlights - Ohuruogu prevails in 200m Despite her victory, the day belonged to Farah after he lowered the record he set in Glasgow last week. "It's been a really good day," he told BBC Sport. "The last few races have gone really well and today went even better. "Leading up to it I knew I was on for breaking the GB record again. I knew I could go quicker. I'm in better shape and my attitude towards running has changed a lot. "I was disappointed last year and I've just gone out there and worked really hard in Kenya. I'm approaching races with a lot more confidence. "I'm a lot happier in my head - I'm listening to my body a lot more - I over-cooked it in the summer and when things don't go well you tell yourself 'that's not happening again'. "I'm really looking forward to the European indoors. Some people are already hanging the gold around my neck. I obviously want to win but it's going to be hard work. " Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva failed to break her 27th world record in the pole vault. The Olympic champion cleared 4.82m at the second attempt to easily win the competition, but failed with all three attempts at 5.01m. Kate Dennison improved her British record by one centimetre to 4.46m in finishing in a tie for third. Dennison raises UK pole vault record Britain's Marilyn Okoro and Jenny Meadows came home first and second in the 800m, both setting personal bests in doing so. Kelly Sotherton was not competing because of an injection required for a heel injury but she is hoping to be fit for Turin. Phillips Idowu, who was also missing on Saturday for precautionary measures, should also be available after overcoming a knee complaint.

Athletice: Scots bobsleigher's Games dilemma

Page last updated at 21:17 GMT, Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Scots bobsleigher's Games dilemma

By David Sharp Cooke represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games Gillian Cooke's successful foray into the world of winter sports has resulted in the loss of her athletics funding. Cooke, who partnered Nicola Minichiello to gold at the Bobsleigh World Championships at Lake Placid, has been penalised for switching sports. The Scot, who has competed at the Commonwealth Games in pole vault and long jump, said: "It was a little disappointing that they cut me off. "But it's not fair to be funded for two sports." Cooke and Minichiello's victory over America's Shauna Rohbock and Elan Meyers was the first world championship gold medal by a British pair in the event since Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon in 1965. I just want to be kept informed of what's going on in the preparations for Delhi 2010 Scottish athlete Gillian Cooke Minichiello, the driver and a World silver medallist four years ago with Jackie Gunn, advertised on Facebook last year for a new breakman. Cooke, 26, from Edinburgh, was a bobsleigh novice but had the perfect athletic credentials for Minichiello's cause having competed at the highest level for Scotland in track and field. "I was doing long jump up until October last year and the driver of the bobsleigh, Nicola, got in touch with me via Facebook," Cooke told BBC Scotland. "She'd been searching the athletics rankings looking for speed and power athletes and she sent out a few messages. "I went down to Bath University where there's a push-start track and had a shot there and I really enjoyed it and did a couple more sessions and then went for selection." Cooke was immediately chosen to be brakewoman for Minichiello's GB1 team and the rest is history. As for her athletics career: that is on hold after a foot injury sustained during training last summer, an enforced hiatus which led to the unexpected bobsleigh opportunity. Unfortunately, Cooke's gold-winning switch from summer to winter sports led Scottish Athletics to pull the plug on her funding, which may jeopardise her plans to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. "I just want to be kept informed of what's going on in the preparations for Delhi 2010 for the Commonwealth Games," Cooke said. "They've been in touch and they've all congratulated me so there's no hard feelings at all." If Delhi turns out to be a leap too far then the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, also next year, may come calling for the multi-talented Scot.

Page last updated at 17:47 GMT, Thursday, 19 February 2009

Athletics plans 'Twenty20' format

By Matt Slater UKA hopes the format can have the same success as Twenty20 cricket British athletics bosses are set to announce a new "Twenty20"-style series that will be staged on summer evenings, BBC Sport has learned. The "Super 8" series will pit city-based teams against each other in action-packed, two-hour contests. The brainchild of former GB shot putter Shaun Pickering and UK Athletics (UKA) boss Niels de Vos, the format will be trialled on 10 June in Cardiff. If that is successful UKA hopes to launch an eight-team league in 2010. The idea is that athletes will line up for cities that they have an association with - place of birth, residence or some other connection - but each city will also be allowed to field two overseas stars. It is hoped that cities will bid for the franchises and the right to host the events, which could be staged indoors or outdoors. 606: DEBATE Will the quick-fire format have the same success as Twenty20 cricket? The events on the programme are believed to be broadly in line with the decathlon's disciplines. There will also be a number of relays, including mixed medleys of varying distances. Like the hugely popular Twenty20 cricket concept, the key factor will be keeping delays between events down to a bare minimum: a senior UKA source told BBC Sport that "there will be something happening every two minutes". The plan will be discussed with athletes at this weekend's Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham. The source said talk of commercial partners was a little premature but the sport's existing sponsors would be given right of first refusal.

Page last updated at 23:35 GMT, Monday, 16 February 2009

Athletes air issues over testing:

Drugs testing procedures have become more rigid British athletes met with World Anti-Doping Agency officials on Monday to voice their concerns about new rules for out-of-competition testing. The "whereabouts" system used to track athletes for tests has been revised and the changes have attracted criticism. The new rules state that athletes need to be available for an hour a day to tell drug testers where they will be. "To say it has overtaken my life is an understatement," Beijing rowing silver medallist Annie Vernon told BBC 5 Live. She believes some athletes may struggle to cope with the changes and could inadvertently miss tests and end up being banned from competition. "We got told by UK Sport to set reminders on your phone, put up Post-It notes around the house, get family and friends to give you a nudge, to keep on top of the testing slots," added Vernon. "That's not a workable system. You are going to have clean athletes at home because they fell foul of these rules." Wada is already facing a legal challenge from a group of Belgian professional athletes, while British tennis star Andy Murray has been especially critical. "These new rules are so draconian that it makes it almost impossible to live a normal life," he told The Times. "I may miss a flight or a flight could be delayed, yet I have to let Wada know exactly where I will be, even when I am resting. "They even turned up at my hotel in Miami while I was on holiday." BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar said: "So concerned are Wada about the strength of feeling over the new regulations, that their chief executive, David Howman, agreed to hear the complaints in person in London on Monday. "He believes that better communication as to why the changes were made will ease athletes' concerns." The Wada chief executive explained: "In the past these things have come up because people get aggrieved when they don't get the personal touch - somebody hasn't come and talked to them personally or they haven't had the situation explained to them by their personal federation. "Once things settle down then you find that people say 'well, we're doing this to make sure there is integrity in our sport and people stay clean, and we accept the responsibility on our shoulders to make sure people comply'." A revised version of the Wada code, the global standards that underpin the fight against drugs cheats, came into force on 1 January, and among the key changes was a significant tightening up of whereabouts. Before 1 January, any athlete in his or her country's testing pool (so any elite athlete in an Olympic sport or leading players in the main team sports) would have to specify, three months in advance, a time and a place each day, five days a week, when they could be found to give a no-notice drugs test. Athletes could pick any hour between 0500 and 2300, and they would only have to be in the stated place for a portion of that hour, the onus being on the testers to be in the right place at the right time. Many athletes, therefore, selected 0500-0600 as their window and resigned themselves to the fact they might get an early wake-up call two or three times a year. The new code, however, moved the earliest available time back to 0600 and crucially called for the athlete to be available for the full stated hour. The system was also extended to seven days a week.

Isinbayeva sets indoor WR

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Afp, Donetsk

Russia's athletics icon Yelena Isinbayeva set a new indoor world pole vault record of five metres at the annual Bubka memorial tournament here on Sunday.

The 26-year-old beat her previous record of 4.95m, which she achieved here last year, and it was the sixth time in as many years that she has set a new world record indoors in Donetsk.

Two-time Olympic champion Isinbayeva was trailing Brazilian Fabian Murer, who set a new South American record with a 4.81m vault, but managed to clear the 4.86m mark in her next attempt to assure herself top place.

Her next two attempts at 4.96m were unsuccessful, but on her third try she managed to clear 4.97m to set a new world record.

"It was just superstition," she said. "We decided for 4.97 instead of wasting another attempt on an unlucky number."

She then ordered the five-metre mark, which she managed to clear on her second attempt.

Isinbayeva said that her pre-meet game plan was to add two world records to her already bulging collection.

"We had in mind to first do 4.96 and then five metres," she said. "The reason is the atmosphere here. It's a very special competition and there are lots of special connections for me here."

Isinbayeva has two more competitions planned this winter - in Birmingham next weekend, and the Prague International on February 26.

Athletice: Veteran Fraser Secures Double Win

Page last updated at 19:21 GMT, Sunday, 15 February 2009

Fraser was close to retiring after missing out on the Olympic relay team Donna Fraser rolled back the years as she claimed a superb 200m and 400m double at the European Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield. The 36-year-old took the 200m in 23.48 seconds, while her time of 52.83 for the 400m was just outside the European Championships qualifying standard. Meanwhile, Mo Farah continued his fine form with victory in the 1500m in a time of three minutes 40.57. Kelly Sotherton took silver in the shot put, but pulled out of the high jump. The heptathlete had a slight hip injury and decided to withdraw from the high jump as a precaution. But the real success story of the day was Fraser's performance as she justified her decision not to retire. "I must really love this sport, I don't know what possessed me to take on both events this weekend at my age," said Fraser. "I think it's just what I'm used to, I've always done loads of races in one weekend. If I have just one race I sit at home worrying about it, whereas if I've got loads it takes the nerves away. "I don't know about the rest of the season yet. The mind's still willing but the body's getting old. I just want to get through the indoors and make my decision." Farah set a new stadium record for the 1500m just two weeks after breaking the British record in the 3,000m in Glasgow. "I came here to work hard and that's what I did," said the 25-year-old. "I needed to do some speed work and this was great preparation for the 3,000m at the Europeans." It is the first event for UK Athletics' new head coach Charles van Commenee ahead of the European Indoors Championships in Turin which begin on 6 March.

Athletice: Chambers could make GB relay team

At 19:21 GMT, Sunday, 15 February 2009

Chambers was in fine form at the indoor trials on Saturday New GB coach Charles van Commenee has reiterated Dwain Chambers can play an important role in the squad after his strong indoor trails performance. Chambers served a two-year ban for a failed drugs test in 2003 but has been shunned by several GB athletes since. Van Commenee has hinted the 30-year-old could be in the sprint relay team for August's World Championships in Berlin. "He's served his sentence. There's been a cloud over him but there's a new reality now," he said. "Lots of things are done in light of the 2012 Olympic Games, for which he is not eligible. But I will treat Dwain as any other athlete of that calibre. "I know there are restrictions, funding wise and competition wise, but we have to close that chapter. How we deal with it in the light of the relay will come out soon. We move on." Chambers qualified for the 60m at next month's European Indoor Championships in Turin by running 6.51 seconds at the trials in Sheffield, equalling the fastest time in the world this year. He will find out on 24 February whether he has also been included in the relay team, a decision which is entirely down to the coach. Chambers said recently he would stand down from the relay team if his potential team-mates were against his inclusion. After his failed drugs test, Chambers was stripped of all the medals he had won since mid-2002, after admitting that he had been doping from that date. He was also banned for life from the Olympics. That meant Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Christian Malcolm also had to hand back the gold medals they won in the 2002 European Championships sprint relay, when Chambers was in the team. The British team also had to hand back silver medals won in the 2003 World Championships for the same reason - and this is partly why Chambers has been criticised so heavily. Van Commenee added: "We all wish, including Dwain, that he hadn't done what he did but we have to close that chapter because it's been a dark cloud hanging over him too long."

Athletics Top Stories

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

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