BIRMINGHAM // The controversial sprinter Dwain Chambers powered to victory in the 100m at the British Olympic trials to move a step closer to securing a place in Beijing last night. The 30-year-old, who is seeking a High Court injunction on Wednesday to lift his lifetime Olympic ban for drug offences, won in 10.00 seconds. Chambers needed to finish in the top two to have any chance of selection. He finished ahead of second-placed Simeon Williamson, who secured his Olympic place with a time of 10.03.
Craig Pickering was third in 10.19 but Marlon Devonish, who won 100m relay gold in Athens in 2004, finished seventh in 10.28. UK Athletics (UKA) will name its Olympic squad tomorrow but may delay naming the 100m team until the High Court ruling. Chambers, who breezed through his heats and semi-final on Friday, had already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard of 10.21 seconds and rose to the top of the British rankings when he clocked a time of 10.05 at the end of June.
His success leaves UKA's selectors with a dilemma. Under its selection criteria, the athletes who finish inside the top two are eligible for the squad so long as they have also achieved the qualifying mark. Chambers' lifetime Olympic ban, imposed by the British Olympic Association after he tested positive for the banned steroid THG, means he cannot be selected. However, if the High Court rules in his favour on Wednesday, then UKA may be forced to select him.
Chambers served a two-year ban after failing a drug test in 2003. * PA Sport
