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| August 08, 2006 | Tuesday | Rajab 12, 1427 |
Obikwelu, Chambers in 100m second round
GOTHENBURG, Aug 7: Race favourites Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and returning British drugs offender Dwain Chambers cruised into the second round of the men's 100m at the European athletics championships on Monday.
Obikwelu, silver medallist at the Athens Olympics and European record holder at 9.86 seconds, looked relaxed as he posted 10.25 seconds to win his heat.
“I feel very good and am in perfect health, so the gold medal is not far off, although I have to keep an eye on (Ronald) Pognon and Chambers who are also very strong,” said the Nigerian-born sprinter who will also compete in the 200m.
With the second round of the 100 metres later on Monday and the semi-final and final of the event on Tuesday evening, medal contenders were content to save themselves for the more demanding races in the punishing schedule.
Chambers, whose European gold four years ago was handed to Obikwelu after the Briton failed a doping test and was handed a two-year ban, qualified fastest in 10.24sec.
“It was good. It's a great surface,” said Chambers. “I didn't expect a better run as it's only qualification, but the next race will be faster.”
Frenchman Pognon, who along with Obikwelu and Chambers is the only other sprinter on show here to have raced a sub-10 seconds race, qualified in 10.26sec, recovering from a poor start to coast home.
Britain's Olympic relay gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis, yet to achieve the success in senior solo competition many predicted for him after he won the World Junior 100m title six years ago, was at ease winning his heat in 10.37sec.
The six heats were marred by a series of false starts which the athletes largely blamed on the starter's slow commands.
In the women's heptathlon, Eunice Barber of France took a psychological lead of 36 points over great rival Carolina Kluft of Sweden after the first two events.
Barber won her heat of the 100m hurdles in 13.11 seconds, 0.24-second ahead of home favourite Kluft, who was world champion in 2003 and 2005, Olympic gold medallist in Athens and also defending European champion.
In the high jump, Kluft recorded a best of 1.89 metres, a mark that was matched by the Sierra Leone-born Barber, who narrowly failed to with each of her three attempts at 1.92 metres.
The shot put and 200 metres events come later in the day.
Tim Benjamin of Britain progressed easily to the semi-finals of the men's 400m along with other race favourites Leslie Djhone and Marc Raquil of France.
Russian Vladislav Frolov, Ireland's David Gillick and Daniel Dabrowski of Poland also turned in good races to qualify for Tuesday's semis.—AFP
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