Dwain Chambers, fastest man in England, says he needs money, and he needs it now. The UK's top sprinter who feasted on a BALCO regimen of steroids, HGH, and the other BALCO PEDs now cannot run in international track meets due to bans on ex-drug users. Seems it isn't fair to ban a guy who cheated once, and may still benefit from the long term effects -- although it has been some time since he used PEDs. Chambers also owes payback for earnings during his doping days.
Former drug cheat Dwain Chambers admits he could quit athletics if he cannot make it pay financially in 2009.
As a result of his two-year drug ban, Chambers is currently barred from competing in over 50 meetings organised by the Euro Meetings Group including those staged in this country.
The 30-year-old is also burdened by having to repay to the International Association of Athletics Federations over £100,000 pounds he earned during the period he was using the banned substance THG, beginning in 2002.
UK Athletics (UKA) have now welcomed the sprinter back into the fold after unsuccessfully preventing him competing in a British vest at last year's World Indoor Championships where he shared the 60metres silver medal.
That will see the Londoner initially bid for a place in the national side for the European Indoor Championships in March and then the World Championships in August.
But Chambers is hard up and must start earning cash in the next few months, otherwise he will have to retire from the track.
"I'm able to continue competing as long as my lady is still in a job," Chambers told PA Sport. "I have no one other than Leonie supporting me."
Chambers is currently searching for money paying races, particularly in Europe, and continued: "The duration of my career will depend on how well I'm treated by the meet promoters.
"But it's not going to be easy. If I can't earn anything next year then I'll have to seriously consider finding some other kind of living."
Sorry about that Dwain, we all have to earn a living at some point in time.
However, he insists that although he is banned from competing at Olympic level after his drug offence, he will try every possible avenue to continue.
Chambers was Europe's quickest 100m sprinter last summer and he has been hammering out the training in his bid to bring more medals home for the Norwich Union GB side at next year's major championships.
Chambers said: "I plan opening my season at the Birmingham Games in January, then the trials as I want to run in the European Indoors and at the World Championships in the summer.
"I'm the man - I want to win medals for my country. I can achieve that and get the job done."
Meanwhile he is hoping to have a meeting with UKA chief executive Niels de Vos and see if there is any possibility of competing in the Aviva-sponsored British meetings.
"I'll try and arrange a meeting with Niels de Vos in the New Year and we'll see what happens."
Too bad 'the man' was a drug-cheat, huh?
Surely if Dwain hangs on in there and he does well in Turin and Berlin the sponsors will come back?
Posted by: Si | 01/16/2009 at 03:06