Britain's head coach, Charles Van Commenee, commented: "We have to make sure it is not going to happen at the Olympics.

"It must not happen at the home Games."

As the Netherlands – including 200m winner Churandy Martina - went on to earn a surprise victory in a national record of 38.34sec ahead of the defending French team, which contained the individual 100m winner Christophe Lemaitre, Chambers – whose non-selection for the individual event here effectively confirmed he will be picked for the London Olympics when the selectors announce their team on Tuesday (July 3) – was left pacing in frustration and ripping at the number on his shirt.

James Ellington and Mark Lewis-Francis were left as bemused observers as Chambers (pictured above, left and below) and Malcolm (pictured above, right) came to grief.

Malcolm took responsibility afterwards, claiming he had "lost momentum" as he approached his old friend.


Van Commenee described the latest relay debacle – the fourth such reverse the British men's sprint team has suffered in the last five years – as "disappointing".

He was particularly upset that two of his most experienced performers – Chambers aged 34, Malcolm 33 – should have failed to make that experience tell.

The head coach said the squad referred to Chambers, Malcolm and 36-year-old Marlon Devonish, who was not competing here, as "the three fossils", adding: "Even the fossils, with their 200 years of experience, didn't manage to get the baton round today.

"These guys have won medals at major championships.

"It's disappointing, we need to go into it.

"Practice will help – and we will be doing a lot of practice at our holding camp in Portugal.

The thing is, you can do safe, but then you run one second slower."

While the British women's disqualification means they can no longer qualify for the London Olympics, the men's sprint relay team are in no such danger.

But with four major upsets in the last five years, confidence in their performance is in jeopardy.

"Over the last 20-24 years it is the United States who have failed to bring the baton round the most times in the men's sprint relay," Van Commenee said.

"Then you have a group of between six and seven other countries, which includes Jamaica, France, Italy – and Britain."

There had been no hint of flakiness in the British quartet the previous day as, despite having to bring in Mark Lewis-Francis for Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – who had injured a hamstring in finishing fourth in the individual final – they had been the fastest qualifiers in 38.93sec.


While Van Commenee was generally resigned about Britain's relatively poor showing in Helsinki, he said he "appreciated" the creative effort shown today by Carl Myerscough (pictured above), who doubles up as a shot putter and discus thrower.

Myerscough, who disappointingly failed to qualify for the shot put final here after throwing 19.30, heard on Saturday that Abdul Buhari, his main rival for the third discus place in London, had equalled his own personal best of the 65.24m, set earlier this month, while throwing in Hendon.

"The news killed him, but only for about half an hour," Van Commenee said.

"But then he started thinking creatively."

The coach said Myerscough – who is also desperate to earn selection in the shot, where he would be the single British entrant, having exceeded the Olympic B standard of 20.30 earlier this month, had found out via the internet about a meeting being held in Estonia today and had sailed over before recording an effort of 20.13.

Myerscough recorded 20.10 earlier this month, but was clearly extra keen to register a back-up effort, which is ideally required for selection, given that his only other instance of a B standard, 20.03 had occurred in February.

Jo Pavey (pictured below), who narrowly missed out on a marathon place in the British team for the London 2012, confirmed her form ahead of an Olympic track challenge as she won the silver medal in the 10,000m, clocking 31min 49.03 as she followed home Portugal's Dulce Felix, who won in 31:44.75.


"I'm happy to be back on the track again.

"This was a very good preparation for the Olympics," she said.

Elsewhere on the final day Renaud Lavillenie, France's world indoor champion, lived up to his position as favourite to retain his pole vault title here.

But only after a prodigious struggle with Bjorn Otto, one of three Germans who ended up disputing the medals, which prompted the Frenchman to a clearance of 5.97m that was only four centimetres less than his 2009 personal best of 6.01.

This now sees him head towards the Olympics at the top of the 2012 world rankings.


Sergey Shubenkov (pictured above, in red), Russia's 21-year-old European under 23 champion over the 110m hurdles, added the European senior title in impressive fashion here as he held off the pressing challenge of the men either side of him – Garfield Darien of France (pictured above, second from right) and Artur Noga of Poland (pictured above, far left) – to take gold in 13.16 before dancing an exuberant jig of joy.

Shubenkov had lowered the Russian record to 13.09 in winning his semi-final earlier in the day.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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