Inside Dwain Chambers’ return to Athletics after doping ban aged 45

Former Team GB star and world 100m medalist Dwain Chambers will make a shock return to the UK Athletics Indoor Championships this weekend aged 45. 

Father-of-three Chambers is concentrating on a significant comeback into the world of sprinting regardless of the very fact his rivals can be virtually half his age.

The former Olympian has continued to try to replicate the previous glory he skilled in his early sprinting days earlier than receiving a two-year doping ban between 2004 and 2006 after he examined constructive for the steroid THG.

Chambers has already proven he is ready to sustain with the younger weapons as he clocked a formidable time of 6.81 seconds at Lee Valley in January, which in flip certified him for this weekend’s race.

The spectacular time of 6.81 seconds was a brand new world file within the the Over 45s 60m class – and he additionally nonetheless holds the British file on the identical distance.

Dwain Chambers is one in every of Britain’s most adorned observe stars, his highest achievement profitable bronze on the World Athletics Championships in 1999

Now aged 45 he’s hoping he can proceed his observe success and do the unthinkable by profitable a medal so late in his profession

Chambers skilled one of many greatest falls from grace in athletics historical past.

Having received world bronze in 1999, European 100m silver in 1998, European 100m gold in 2002 and silver on the 2003 World Championship relay, he was on high of the world and tipped for main success on the subsequent Olympics.

However that was all taken from him when he examined constructive for anabolic steroid THG in 2003.

As a results of the constructive check, Chambers was stripped of his European 100m gold in 2002 and the silver medal he received as a part of the relay on the 2003 World Championship, in addition to being stripped of his 9.87sec British file. 

He additionally obtained a lifetime ban from the Olympics and a two-year suspension from sprinting solely.

During his two-year ban, the Londoner tried to earn himself a method into American soccer on two events, as soon as throughout the doping ban and the opposite in 2007.

He had an unsuccessful trial with the San Francisco 49ers – who lately misplaced the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs – in addition to a spell within the NFL Europa league in Hamburg, Germany with the Sea Devils. 

But that was not the one code-switch as Chambers continued to search for a sporting avenue to discover. He would additionally strive his luck at Rugby League in 2008, after the tip of his ban, when he had an unsuccessful trial spell at Castleford Tigers. 

Chambers travelled to Cologne, Germany to attend a NFL Europe coaching session in 2006 with the hopes of breaking into the game

Chambers had a short spell in Cologne as an NFL participant signing a contract with the Hamburg Sea Devils

Ultimately, although, Chambers would return to the game the place he had made his identify, for each the great causes and the dangerous, come the tip of his ban.  

In 2006, Chambers returned to the observe, making an attempt to proper his earlier wrongs, apologising upon his return and promising to pay again the six-figure prize-money sum he acquired over these years he had the steroid in his system.

Upon his return to the game the controversial observe star took house gold on the World Indoors in Doha in 2010 and bronze two years later in Istanbul. 

He additionally made a return to Team GB  however has not represented them since 2014.Then, in July 2017, Chambers introduced his retirement from the game on the age of 39.

However, as soon as once more the decision of the observe proved too troublesome to disregard, and Chambers was again lower than two years later, asserting his return to the game at 40 years outdated.

It wasn’t precisely a dream return, ending in disqualification for a false begin as he laced his boots again for the primary time in 17 months on the British Indoor Championships, however he was to not be deterred. 

Since then he has continued to race, balancing this with a foray into teaching at his personal academy at Lee Valley, in addition to going into faculties to teach on the risks of drug-taking.

He entered the outside UKA Championships in 2021 and 2022, though he didn’t get by way of the 100m heats. 

After two failed makes an attempt of making an attempt to interrupt into the NFL, the previous observe star tried out his luck in rugby, which was additionally unsuccessful

Yet the continued endeavour of Chambers has ultimately paid off, and he now finds himself again within the massive leagues at 45, trying to show that age is only a quantity in a sport dominated by many twenty years his junior. 

In Birmingham, Chambers might face fellow former 60m world champion Richard Kitty, in addition to reigning British champion Reece Prescod, however regardless of the shock return for the ex-Team GB star, not each eye can be pointed his method in Birmingham. 

Though he’s set to be the star of the present, he might discover himself lining up towards  Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – higher referred to as Nitro after the BBC’s Gladiators reboot.

It is about to be a momentous event for Chambers, and though he will certainly be a rank outsider given his age, he can be trying to show he can nonetheless lower it within the ruthless world of elite sprinting, regardless of his considerably circuitous route again to the highest.