Athletics: Campbell 'relieved' by selection for Commonwealth Games

Darren Campbell's hope of competing in his home city of Manchester at next month's Commonwealth Games remained alive yesterday as the selectors gave him the chance to prove his fitness after missing Sunday's 200 metres trials.

The 28-year-old Olympic silver medallist who is suffering from a chest infection, was one of 135 athletes named in the English team, although he and 10 others have been selected subject to their condition.

"I'm really relieved,'' Campbell said. "I'm just so glad they've given me the chance. Anybody that knows me knows I would only go to the Commonwealth Games if I thought I could make the final and get a medal.

"I think that I've proved over the years that I'm a championship person. I've been on the wrong end of a lot of selections over the years, but this was a time when I really did need a favour. I'm feeling drained by it right now, but this news has given me a lift."

Athletes selected provisionally can finalise their places up to and including the weekend of the European Championship trials at Birmingham on 12-14 July, just over a week before the Commonwealth Games begin in Manchester.

The decision to choose Campbell for the third discretionary 200m place behind Sunday's first two home – Marlon Devonish and Chris Lambert – was made easier by the fact that he had achieved the qualifying guideline of 20.60sec with his run of 20.41 last season.

Two other factors operated in Campbell's favour – the third man home on Sunday, Graham Beasley, had not achieved the qualifying mark (although the selectors could still have chosen him at their discretion), and Dwain Chambers, who leads the European rankings in the long sprint with 20.27, wants to concentrate on the 100m in Manchester.

John Brierley, the England team manager, added that Campbell's competitive pedigree had also worked in his favour. Brierley denied the suggestion that local event sponsors had had any influence in the selection of a runner who was brought up 10 miles from the stadium.

Campbell, who is on antibiotics, will rest for five days before resuming training with a view to racing towards the end of next week.

Brierley believes the England squad is potentially as strong as the one that came just one medal behind Canada at the top of the rankings in Kuala Lumpur four years ago, taking 33 in total, 10 of them gold.

It includes Jonathan Edwards, who has won every other title in his career, Steve Batley, Paula Radcliffe and the defending champions, Tony Jarrett and Ashia Hansen.

Jarrett is one of those who must show fitness, along with Kelly Holmes, who missed the trials with a virus, but will seek to double up at 800m and 1500m.

The one notable omission is Larry Achike, the triple-jump winner four years ago, who lost out on the third discretionary place to the man who finished two places ahead of him in the Olympic final, Phillips Idowu, even though the latter chose to compete in the long jump at the trials.