The 34-year-old sprinter (pictured above), who incurred a two-year doping ban in 2003, had said after winning the Olympic 100 metre trials in Birmingham on Saturday (June 23) that he would seek the elusive Olympic 'A' qualifying standard of 10.18sec at the European Championships which start here tomorrow – but his omission from the individual 1000m field clearly indicates that he has already got the nod from the British selectors.

Earlier this month road cyclist David Millar became the first Briton to return to the Olympic team following the BOA reversal – Millar had originally been banned after testing positive for the illegal blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).

Chambers, who has been picked for the 4x100m relay squad in Finland, won the 100m trial in Birmingham in 10.25sec.

But he achieved the 'A' qualifier 11 times last year, and the selection policy makes it clear that performances since January 2011 can be taken into account.

After the trials, Chambers said: "I would like to be selected outright.

"If there's a way the selectors can look on my history I will gladly take that opportunity, but hopefully I am able to secure the qualifier in Helsinki."

Now it looks as if he doesn't need to do that.


Given that two other British sprinters – 18-year-old Adam Gemili (pictured above) and 24-year-old James Dasaolu – have already broken 10.18sec this year, Britain's three 100m places at the Olympics look spoken for.

That is, unless Gemili – who will contest the World Junior Championships in Barcelona before the Games get underway – decides not to do the Olympics, or only to do the relay.

Otherwise it is going to take an extraordinary performance here from either Harry Aikines-Aryeetey or Mark Lewis-Francis – both former world junior champions – to force a late entry into the individual entry.

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