Athletics: Malcolm rewarded for trial run

Christian Malcolm, returning swiftly to form after illness and injury, was yesterday given the nod ahead of Dwain Chambers for the European Championship 200 metres by Britain's selectors.

The 23-year-old Welshman, who finished third in Sunday's 200m final at the European trials in 20.29sec, has been rewarded with the third, discretionary place in Munich next month alongside the two automatic qualifiers, Marlon Devonish and Darren Campbell. But Campbell's decision to take up both the 100 and 200m places he secured after finishing second in both events at Birmingham means that Jason Gardener, one of only three Britons to have won a legal sub-10sec 100m, is out of the event despite finishing third on Saturday.

Gardener, who is in the relay squad, has been named as first reserve and could come in should Campbell, who will contest the Commonwealth Games 200m next week, decide against doubling up in Munich.

Chambers, who was given the discretionary 100m place behind Mark Lewis-Francis and Campbell, who half-expected the 200m decision having finished last in a final where calf cramps affected his performance. The selectors are satisfied that his condition, similar to the one that affected him at the 2000 Olympics, is not serious. But despite the fact that Chambers has run 20.27sec this season, which makes him the third-fastest Briton, the selectors have kept faith with the man who performed on the day.

"Christian is a world-class athlete who is going very well and is getting better,'' the UK Athletics chief executive, Dave Moorcroft, said yesterday. "His performance in Birmingham represented a great step forward and his time of 20.29 is close to world-class. Christian was fifth in the last Olympic Games and World Championships and always does well on the big occasion.

"Dwain has got a huge couple of weeks ahead of him as he contests the 100m and the relay at the Commonwealths and Europeans. It is always difficult getting the right balance in these things. It's a real hassle having all these good sprinters nowadays.''

Janine Whitlock, the British pole vault record-holder, who has tested adversely for steroids, has not been selected pending the decision of an independent Drug Advisory Officer as to whether she has a case to answer. Whitlock still has to indicate whether she wants the second standard test to be carried out on the sample she provided after winning the Commonwealth trials in a domestic record of 4.41m.

Whatever Whitlock decides, the advisory officer will make his judgement on Tuesday, two days before the Commonwealth Games.

It seems a sensible precaution for UK Athletics to have taken, given that the instances where a B test on an adverse sample has differed from the A test are so scarce as to be almost negligible.

Moorcroft declined to comment on the claims made by Whitlock's father and former coach Tony that his daughter had been the victim of a dirty tricks campaign. "No one ever likes dealing with doping issues whatever the timing, and obviously with the Games coming up this is less than ideal,'' Moorcroft said. "But considering the number of tests we do every year there are bound to be adverse findings at times and that is the price we have to pay for being vigilant.''

A decision on which if any athletes will be selected for the men's 1500m, where no one has yet achieved the UK Athletics guideline time of 3min 36.50sec, is being delayed until Tuesday, when the final batch of selections will be announced.

Dean Macey, decathlon bronze medallist at last year's World Championships, has requested not to be considered for the European Championships, preferring to concentrate on the Commonwealth Games because of continuing injury problems. "I do not feel I will be able to perform to the best of my ability in two major competitions so close to each other, particularly as my preparations have not been everything that I expected,'' Macey said.

GB SQUAD FOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

MEN

100m: D Campbell, D Chambers, M Lewis-Francis. 200m: Campbell, M Devonish, C Malcolm. 400m: S Baldock, T Benjamin, D Caines. 800m: A Whiteman. 5,000m: S Haughian. 10,000m: K Keska. Marathon: J Brown. 110m hurdles: D Greaves, C Jackson, T Jarrett. 400m hurdles: A Borsumato, M Elias, C Rawlinson. 20km walk: A Drake. Pole Vault: N Buckfield. Long Jump: N Morgan, C Tomlinson. Triple Jump: J Edwards, P Idowu. Shot: C Myerscough. Javelin: S Backley, M Hill. 4x100m: Campbell, Chambers, A Condon, Devonish, J Gardener, C Lambert, Lewis-Francis, Malcolm. 4x400m: Baldock, J Baulch, Benjamin, Caines, J Deacon, Elias, Rawlinson, D Thorne-Ladejo.

WOMEN

200m: S Anderson, V James. 400m: L McConnell, C Murphy. 800m: J Fenn, K Holmes. 1500m: Holmes, H Pattinson. 5000m: J Pavey, P Radcliffe, H Yelling. 10,000m: Radcliffe, L Yelling. 100m hurdles: D Allahgreen. 400m N Danvers. High Jump: S Jones. Long Jump: J Johnson. Triple Jump: A Hansen. Hammer: L Shaw. Javelin: Kelly Morgan. Heptathlon: J Hollman. 4x100m: D Allahgreen, S Anderson, A Forrester, V James, J Maduaka, A Oyepitan (squad to be added to on 22 July). 4x400m: Danvers, H Frost, H Karagounis, L Mcconnell, C Murphy, M Purkiss (squad to be added to on 22 July).