Dwain Chambers has no regrets about his time at Castleford and believes the experience refuelled his passion for athletics.
Sprinter still feeling shoulder pain from Cas
Dwain Chambers has no regrets about his time at Castleford and believes the whole experience refuelled his passion to compete in athletics.
The British sprinter sparked yet more controversy in his unpredictable career at the end of March when agreeing a one-month trial with the rugby league club.
Chambers had never previously played the sport in his life and also admitted to being unaware of the rules, prompting fierce critics to brand the move as a publicity stunt.
However, although the Tigers decided against offering him a permanent contract, he did manage to win over some of the doubters and earned glowing praise from chief executive Richard Wright for his dedication and attitude throughout the unpaid spell.
His finale saw him gallantly battle his way through almost 40 minutes of a bruising reserve match against York City Knights, which was well attended by a bumper 3,244 crowd at The Jungle - just under half of their average Super League gate.
Having parted company with Castleford there was talk of him linking up with other clubs but looking back in hindsight Chambers, who also tried his luck in NFL Europa for a brief stint in 2007, admits there was only one feasible career path open to him.
Chambers said: "I loved every moment of it, although I do still suffer from the injuries now! My shoulder is mangled! But for what it was worth it was definitely one of the greatest experiences ever for the sheer fact it was an opportunity to try something completely different.
"The people up there respected me for my honesty and that I was just trying to earn a living and doing something that was just going to make me happy.
"They have a great bunch of people up there in Castleford but athletics is my heart and my first love so I was always going to come back.
"I made a lot of friends up there and there's even an in-depth chapter about it in my autobiography because it was so much fun.
"The team management helped me out tremendously and I guess my time in American football also helped. I had a fair understanding of what the zone was and man-to-man marking so that made it easier.
"The only thing I felt scared about was the fact I had no padding on! But other than that when the whistle blew and the game started I got stuck in and it was a great experience.
"I watch the sport more now and I have a better understanding of it now. I'm still a bit of a novice towards it in terms of the rules but when Castleford are playing I'm always watching."
Full support
At the time of the trial Chambers had yet to confirm if he would appeal against his lifetime Olympic ban, which was imposed by the British Olympic Association after testing positive for the performance enhancing THG drug in 2003.
Such a heated debate surrounding his track future was becoming almost too much to bear as several high profile figures in athletics tried to freeze him out.
The 30-year-old was therefore thankful his drug-taking past was never a detracting factor with the Castleford players and staff, who he claims were always on hand to offer him support both on and off the pitch.
"In terms of support there was a huge turnout and everyone was very supportive of me," he said. "They said I should have never gone down the road I did but I appreciated the comments and they always said they would support me.
"It was an escape from athletics and it gave me a chance to have a breather from what was going on. It was an opportunity to get away from all the mayhem and let me breath for a second.
"And if Castleford had offered me a contract then that's where I was going to be. I would have strongly considered it but I'm a born athlete and this is what I'm meant to do.
"It gave me a kick and re-engaged my mojo and after four weeks up there I came back to athletics and felt right as rain again and ran really well. It was just a shame I couldn't go to the Olympics."
Future's bright
Now a quite dramatic year is coming to a close, Chambers is confident his growing popularity in the public eye will inspire him towards a glorious 2009.
He said: "The support I got from athletics fans, Castleford fans, the general public and even the journalists have helped me get back to where I want to be.
"I was looking for support for so long and now I'm actually receiving it. I hope I've been forgiven for what I've done and it's great to know some people have found it within their hearts to forgive.
"I see lights, I want to continue seeing lights and where there are lights there's good performances from Mr Chambers."
Dwain Chambers' autobiography 'Race Against Me' comes out on March 1 2009 with 2012 limited edition signed copies available for pre-order at www.sjdent.com
