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Chambers wins silver medal in Valencia

Britain's Dwain Chambers, left, and Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis shake hands after sharing second place in the Men's 60m at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Valencia, Spain, on Friday. PHOTO: AP

Dwain Chambers put his doping ban behind him and claimed a silver medal in the 60m on Friday at the World Indoor Championships behind Nigeria's Olusoji Fasuba.

In a close finish, Fasuba had to nurse cramps during the final but still won in a season's best 6.51 seconds, leaving former doping cheat Chambers and Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis to share second three hundredths behind.

"I knew something was going to come," Fasuba said, feeling his form improve throughout the day's heats and semi-finals. "To get an Olympic medal is my target now."

Angela Williams won the women's event, completing her return from a series of injuries to add gold after twice taking silver.

"I'm glad to be back. You cannot give up," Williams said.

The US earned a second gold when Christian Cantwell beat fellow American Reese Hoffa in the shot put.

On the opening night of the championships, Belgium's Tia Hellebaut won the most surprising gold of all. The high jump specialist beat an established field to take the pentathlon ahead of British favorite Kelly Sotherton.

But from the morning heats to the night-capping 60m, it was Chambers who dominated Valencia.

"It is good to be back on the track and running fast," the Briton said after he made his running much more memorable than his mere appearance. There were fears the crowd would turn his races into chaos with jeers and whistles, but all remained quiet.

A personal best capped his day.

"The response has been very good. All I can do is come back and do the right thing," he said.

In the showpiece event of the three-day championship, Fasuba looked the more nervous getting in the blocks, but once the gun sounded he focused to add an individual gold to the Olympic bronze he won with the Nigerian relay team in Athens.

Chambers crossed the line shoulder-to-shoulder with 2003 outdoor champion Collins and after both waited for minutes on the track, the photo finish failed to break the deadlock.

Chambers was banned from 2003 to 2005 for testing positive for the steroid THG.
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