CHAMBERS OPENS EUROPEAN OUTDOOR SEASON IN POWERADE GREAT CITYGAMES MANCHESTER

Great Britain's number one sprinter Dwain Chambers will make his first outdoor appearance of the year on European soil when competing over 150 metres at the Powerade Great CityGames Manchester on May 20.

Chambers faces a testing outing in Manchester competing against American Walter Dix, last year's IAAF World Championships 100 metres and 200m silver medallist, Trinidad's Richard Thompson the 2008 Olympic 100m runner up and fellow Briton Marlon Devonish.

The quality of the line up at the innovative street meeting, taking place on a purpose built straight track, will see the quartet eyeing Usain Bolt's world best performance of 14.35 seconds - set at the inaugural meeting in 2009.

With Dix believing he is in shape to attack the USA record of 14.51sec that Tyson Gay achieved at the Manchester event a year ago, Chambers could challenge the British best performance of 14.87sec in what should be a speedy encounter.

That record belongs to ageless veteran Devonish who thrives on "street dash" races posting that time in Manchester's sister event, the Great North CityGames in NewcastleGateshead last September.
 
Chambers was recently cleared to compete at this summer's Olympic Games after a British Olympic Association (BOA) regulation banning former drug offenders from representing Team GB was overruled by a binding decision announced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

That ruling has refuelled the ambitions of the 34-year-old Londoner who is currently warm weather training in Jamaica and revealed earlier this week after the CAS decision he will concentrate on home soil chasing an Olympic 100 metres medal.

The meeting will also see the USA's Sanya Richards-Rossin action, she is expected to be one of the biggest challengers to take away Christine Ohuruogu’s Olympic 400m title at the London Games

Richards-Ross was stunned when beaten into third place after Ohuruogu produced an unstoppable sprint finish down the home straight in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium four years ago.

Now her Olympic build up will see the 27-year-old superstar compete over 200m in a line up which includes Czech Denisa Rosolova the reigning European Indoor 400m title holder and Nicola Sanders who was second behind fellow Brit Ohuruogu over one lap at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka.