Athletics: Chambers finds redemption in golden record

European Athletics Championships: Briton sprints to 100 metres title to erase Commonwealth Games disappointment as Campbell takes bronze

At last it has all come right for Dwain Chambers. The sprinter, who left Manchester distraught after coming to grief in the Commonwealth Games 100 metres final, underlined the genuine nature of his talent yesterday as he earned the European title ­ the first major gold medal of his senior career ­ in a championship record and personal best time of 9.96 seconds.

Darren Campbell, Britain's defending champion, took the bronze medal with a time of 10.15 after surviving a scare in an edgy prelude to the race which saw Greece's Georgios Theodoridis disqualified for providing two of the final's three false starts. The other one was Campbell's, and, for a few uncomfortable moments, it seemed as if he might emulate the unhappy fate of his coach, Linford Christie, who was disqualified from the 1996 Olympic final for false-starting twice.

In the end, Campbell got away with the field of seven, but no one ever headed the 24-year-old Londoner as he produced his best start at these championships and accelerated clear of everyone except the 6ft 5in figure of Francis Obikwelu, running alongside him in lane six, who earned a silver medal for his adopted country of Portugal in a national record of 10.06.

For Chambers ­ who dedicated his medal to his former junior international colleague Ross Baillie, who died of an allergic reaction in 1999 ­ this event represented the opportunity to erase the image created by his traumatic experience in Manchester last Saturday week. The return of a persistent cramping condition had caused him to seize up halfway through a Games final which also saw the unscheduled exit of his 19-year-old English rival Mark Lewis-Francis with a hamstring injury that prevented him travelling to Munich.

The hype which built up around that rivalry may well have had an adverse effect on both runners, each of whom also stopped to chat to the media between rounds more often than was good for them.

Two things changed for Chambers at these championships. He was conscientiously using a newly constituted fluid replacement drink to counteract his tendency to cramp up, and he was also spending less time sharing his thoughts with the press here.

Some observers, however, questioned Chambers' innate ability to make the most of his abilities, including Michael Johnson, America's former Olympic 200m and 400m champion, who observed before the championships began: "I think there are big question marks over Chambers even if he sorts out his problems with cramp. Will he ever win at the big event? If he makes it to the start line in the European Championships it will be interesting to see how he copes. He may be only 24 but he's been doing this for a few years and time is running out for him. He's not lived up to people's expectations and there could come a time when that will play on his mind."

Last night Chambers provided the answer to those question marks. "I feel that I've proved a lot of my critics wrong," he said. "After all the hype and the cramps and all that malarkey little doubts creep in. I was beginning to have doubts in myself, so this is a huge boost for my confidence. My start's been a bit of a problem, but I got away really well in the final.

"I really thought I was going to win the Commonwealth title, and I didn't think I could get the European gold. But I'm here, I've done it, I'm happy and I'm fit. What more can I ask for?

"This year's coming very good for the Brits. The team spirit is brilliant. Jade Johnson was unbelievable ­ she's lifted the whole team. I'm looking forward to the 4x100m relay now. I want two golds ­ one for me and one for my Mum."

Four years ago in Budapest, the 20-year-old Chambers vented his frustration at finishing runner-up to Campbell in the European Championship final by storming through the changing area, hurling his bag and spikes around and making one of the more sensitive young kit-carriers cry. A year after setting the world junior record of 10.06sec at the European Junior Championships, he was enormously frustrated at not being able to translate that talent straight away to senior level.

At the 1999 World Championships in Seville, however, he stepped up to the top rank with a time of 9.97sec ­ still his legal best ­ to earn bronze in a final won by the man who still stands at the head of the event, Maurice Greene of the United States.

But he failed to progress in the following two years, finishing fourth in the Sydney Olympics ­ where he was first troubled by his cramping condition ­ and fifth in last year's World Championships.

It was a state of affairs he acknowledged himself, and prompted him to change his training routine by visiting the United States for nine weeks earlier this year. Last night, as he maintained the British hold on a title they have held since 1986, he earned his due reward.

Abi Oyepitan, Britain's first woman 100m finalist at these championships since Stephanie Douglas in 1990, finished sixth in 11.41 behind the gold medallist, Ekaterini Thanou of Greece, who recorded 11.10.

Earlier in the day there was good news from Jonathan Edwards, who had limped away after achieving a triple jump qualifying mark of 16.99m at his first attempt on Tuesday. He has serious bruising of his heel but will be fit to compete in tonight's final.

Daniel Caines reached today's 400m final in fine style, holding off the giant figure of the home runner Ingo Schultz ­ eight inches taller than him at 6ft 7in ­ to win in 45.35sec. Russia's hugely talented but enigmatic 800 metres runner Yuri Borzakovsky, who chose to run only the one-lap event at these championships, could only finish seventh in 46.06.

Tim Benjamin joins the Birmingham runner after taking third place in the other semi, which saw the highly fancied French runner Marc Raquil pull up injured on the back straight. Benjamin clocked 46.07 in a race won by Spain's David Canal in 45.86.

Kelly Holmes reached today's 800m final after winning her semi-final in 2min 00.66sec, but Jo Fenn went out after finishing sixth in her semi-final.

Steve Backley went into tomorrow's javelin final with a first effort of 85.76m, the day's best qualifying effort. His main rivals, Sergei Makarov of Russia and the triple Olympic champion Jan Zelezny, advanced with 83.24 and 82.44 respectively.