(REUTERS) – Young French sensation Christophe Lemaitre tore up the script at the European Championships to deny Dwain Chambers the one that got away and storm to 100m gold in Barcelona.
The gold medal appeared to be Chambers’ for the taking with 30 metres to go but the Frenchman found an extra gear and roared home in 10.11 seconds, while Mark Lewis-Francis secured a shock silver. It was to be Chambers’ final step on the road from ruin to redemption but Lemaitre has been making ripples in athletics circles this season – and he downed the British veteran with a tidal wave in the closing stages.
The European Championships have never been kind to Chambers. In 1998 in Budapest he had to settle for silver and while he did take gold in 2002 in Munich it was then stripped away after he tested positive for banned substances a year later.
To rub salt into the wounds, Chambers did not even make the podium. The positions from second to fifth were all given a time of 10.18 and it was Britain’s Lewis-Francis who took the most surprising of silver medals.
Bronze went to France’s Martial Mbandjock while Chambers had to settle for fifth.
“I didn’t have a good start in the final but picked up very well on my speed,” said Lemaitre, the fastest man in Europe this year after setting a national record of 9.98 this month.
“It was a brilliant final and I’m very happy tonight.”
Thrust to the fringes of his sport, Chambers was a pariah until he made his return to the global stage at the World Championships last year.
Beating Usain Bolt was never on the cards but a credible sixth place finish did much to enhance his reputation.
Chambers has mellowed with age and is at ease on the track these days but Lemaitre is the new kid on the block.
The disappointment was evident on Chambers’ face but he was in philosophical mood after the most painful of defeats.
“I’ve come here and I’ve loved every minute of it,” said Chambers. “Hats off to Christophe Lemaitre! He hasn’t put a foot wrong at all.
“Of course I’m disappointed and I’m sure it will sink in but for now I just want to say that it didn’t go for me here but I want to look forward to competing next year.”
While Chambers was left to rue another cruel twist of fate, Lewis-Francis’ silver medal was just as surprising as his senior compatriot’s failure to reach the podium.
The 27-year-old has, just like Chambers, spent his fair share of time in the wilderness with injuries and dips in form curtailing his progress since 2004 where he anchored Great Britain to sprint relay Olympic gold in Athens.
But Lewis-Francis, who sped down the same track on which Linford Christie blazed his Olympic trail of destruction 18 years ago, was quick to announce he is back with a bang.
“I came here on a lucky star and I was told I would not even make the final,” said Lewis-Francis, who was originally only named in the relay squad.
“But I’ve come here and I’ve got silver and for all the knocks and the setbacks I’ve taken, this makes it all worthwhile.
“This is the start of the rebuilding of Mark Lewis-Francis.
“I can’t say how much of an honour it is to be coached by Linford Christie. He has been an inspiration for me since I was a kid and he has motivated me in every race at these championships.”
It is not the medal Great Britain were hoping for and it will not be around the neck of the expected recipient. But as the final chapter in Chambers’ career may well have been scribed, a new one in that of Lewis-Francis may just be beginning.