Chambers misses out as Lemaitre wins sprint crown

The best of British sprinters had no answer to new French sprinting sensation Christophe Lemaitre in last night's European Championships 100m final in Barcelona. The 20-year-old Frenchman, who earlier this month became the first white man to dip under 10 seconds for the 100m, narrowly edged out Mark Lewis-Francis by 0.07s in a time of 10.11 seconds. Frenchman Martial Mbandjock was third with Portugal's Francis Obikwelu in fourth place. Britain's Dwain Chambers could only manage fifth, but his time of 10.178 illustrates just how close it was at the finish.

The 27-year-old Lewis-Francis has struggled to fulfil the potential he showed 10 years ago when he won the 100m world junior title, with a succession of injuries dogging his career in recent seasons. Understandably, he was delighted to finally get on the podium in a major championships. "For all the knocks I have taken this is the biggest comeback ever and the biggest boost," he said. "It is a new beginning, this is the rebuilding of Mark Lewis-Francis. I hope I have answered some of the critics."

Going into the final Dwain Chambers was widely tipped for a medal but the 32-year-old didn't have the gas to see off his younger rivals after making a good start. "Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but I'm happy for Mark, he has had to fight hard to get here," Chambers said afterwards, adding: "I had to rely on my experience, which kept me relaxed, but it wasn't enough to win. I've just got to keep ploughing on at it until my opportunity prevails."

The reality, however, is that this was Chambers' last serious opportunity to win another major championship medal with age now clearly catching up with him. Having won silver at this event in 1998, Chambers was destined for a decade of sprinting success but a positive drugs test in 2003 shattered his reputation and saw him banned for two years. He also had to hand back the 100m gold medal he won at the 2002 European Championships in Munich.

Ironically, Frenchman Lamaitre is exactly the age Chambers was when he broke on to the scene at the 1998 European Championships, and if anything his future looks brighter than the Briton's ever did. Just 20, and with a physique still maturing, Lamaitre is the favourite to win the 200m on Friday.

"After a brilliant year my objective was gold," said Lemaitre, who clocked 9.98 at the French Championships a fortnight ago. "I didn't get a good start but I was able to pick my speed up well. I fought hard and it is a great feeling to be champion." ·