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Chambers says he was made to feel like a leper

Britain's Dwain Chambers, right, celebrates as he crosses the line to win in the 60m final during the British World Indoor Athletics Trials and Championships meet at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, England, on Sunday. Chambers could be on his way to the world indoor championships after Sunday's win. PHOTO: AP

Dwain Chambers said in an interview published yesterday he was being made to feel like a "leper," just a day after he won his battle to be included on Great Britain's team for next month's World Indoor Championships.

Speaking to the Sun tabloid, Chambers, who was selected despite "unanimous" opposition to his history of using performance enhancing drugs, said: "I'm being made to feel like a leper. A terrible stigma has been attached to me but people need to know I am clean. Yes, I did something wrong. I did the crime -- but I've done my time and now I've moved on."

Chambers earned his place on the plane to Valencia, Spain, by winning the 60m at the national trials on Sunday in a time of 6.55 seconds.

But, in an unprecedented move, UK Athletics' (UKA's) selection committee issued a statement along with Tuesday's announcement of the team which made it clear that Chambers had only been selected because of the athlete's threat to take legal action against the governing body if he was not included.

"The committee was unanimous in its desire not to select Dwain," the statement said.

Under the rules of the British Olympic Association, Chambers, 29, will not be eligible for selection for the Olympic games in Beijing in August.

"Other people are allowed to get on with their lives once they have served a punishment -- so why can't I get on with mine?" Chambers told the Sun.

"I respect people have opinions about me and they are entitled to those. I'm not going to get into a slanging match with them. But they should remember I'm only doing what I'm legally entitled to do," he said. "I have a lot to prove, but all I want to do is let my legs do all the talking."

Chambers completed a two-year doping ban in 2006, after testing positive for the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).
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