Dwain Chambers ensured he will defend his World Indoor 60 metres title by winning the Aviva UK Trials in Sheffield.
Veteran sprinter books spot on team for World Indoor Championships
Dwain Chambers ensured that he will be able to defend his World Indoor 60 metres title after claiming a narrow victory at the Aviva UK Trials and Championships in Sheffield.
Chambers took the British title in a time of 6.58 seconds, edging out 21-year-old Andrew Robertson by just three hundredths of a second at the English Institute of Sport.
And as well as focusing on the World Indoors in Istanbul in March, Chambers admits that the still has one eye on the London Olympics ahead of the court case that will decide whether he and other British athletes banned for doping offences can compete at the Games.
"That is in my mind but it's out of my hands," said Chambers, whose availability for London hinges on the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling on March 12.
"I have to prepare and if the door opens at least I am prepared and I can compete to the best of my ability. If that does not happen then there is the European Championships in Helsinki.
Qualification
"No athlete has the green light, we all still have to qualify. I talk about it (the Olympics) with the others, although my situation is different. I can encourage them and if the opportunity presents itself I will be able to run beside them."
He added: "The climate is a lot different because I am not taking the fight, which I am grateful for. I don't want to be in court."
In the women's 60m race in Sheffield, Jeanette Kwakye took the title ahead of world and European outdoor junior champion Jodie Williams as Asha Philip, the top-ranked Briton before this weekend, was disqualified from the semi-finals for a false start.
"It's humbling to come here and run 7.20, but the girls are going faster and I need to do well at the World Indoors before I can think about the Olympics," Kwakye said.
Elsewhere, Jessica Ennis opted not to compete in the long jump, but was delighted to twice equal her personal best of 7.95s in the 60m hurdles.
"To run that back to back is great. It's been a good weekend to be doing season's bests and close to PBs," Ennis said.
Winners
Holly Bleasdale won the women's pole vault with her first jump at 4.52m and also went on to clear 4.70m with ease, although she failed with three attempts at improving her British record to 4.89m.
There were victories in the women's and men's 400m for Shana Cox and Nigel Levine respectively, while Shara Proctor won the women's long jump with a leap of 6.68m - just two centimetres short of the British record.
World 1500m silver medallist Hannah England, who will not compete in Istanbul, won the women's 3,000m title, while Joe Thomas cruised to victory in the men's 800m and Marilyn Okoro won the women's race.
Okoro will now try to achieve the qualifying time at next weekend's Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham.
Andrew Pozzi set a new personal best in winning the men's 60m hurdles in 7.62s to secure his place on the team for Istanbul.
