Chambers Flips Where Stafford Flopped!

Did you catch the men's indoor 60 metres dash in Sheffield over the weekend?

Dwain Chambers was sprinting so fast as he crossed the finish line in first place that not even the ramp and padding could prevent him from flipping over the barrier and ending up, head first down, with his legs sticking up in the air.

Thankfully the man who hopes to be reinstated after his doping convictions by the BOA for the Olympics was physically fine, if a little embarassed after an incident rarely seen in athletics.

Let's put it this way. There was absolutely no danger of me performing a similar act when I raced in the 60 metres indoors in Birmingham ten years ago. Indeed, having crossed the line in eighth place (oh, all right then, last) I must be the only athlete at this level to maintain the same speed in the hope of reaching the same barrier at the top of the ramp that Dwain slammed into.

Instead I failed miserably, grinding to a halt halfway up the ramp before shaking hands with my fellow runners who came down the ramp to commiserate. There have been quite a few embarassing incidents such as this in my sporting participatory career, but few better my appearance at the National Indoor Arena!

Here's my valiant effort at the 60m sprint: