Pickering: No glee over Chambers

Craig Pickering insists he is not pleased over the decision to leave Dwain Chambers out of Britain's 4x100 metres relay team.
Chambers won gold over 60 metres in the European Indoor Championships in Turin at the weekend, setting a new European record of 6.42 seconds in the process.

The 30-year-old would be an asset to a relay squad that was disqualified from the heats at the Olympics in Beijing last year, but is ineligible to compete at London 2012 due to his two-year ban for failing a drugs test for the steroid THG in 2003.

Pickering was denied a place at the World Indoor Championships last year after being beaten by Chambers at the trials.

He later signed a petition calling for all drugs cheats to be banned from the Olympic Games, as Chambers attempted to overturn his Olympic ban before Beijing, writing: "Taking drugs is the worst crime that can be committed within the sporting world.

"It involves lying, cheating and robbing people who may have worked for more than a decade to achieve greatness, only to have it taken away from them at the last minute."

However, the 22-year-old admits he made a mistake in getting "too involved" with the Chambers saga last year and wishes the whole affair would come to an end.

"It's unfortunate, with him not being in the team, that every time something happens in the relay team people are going to be saying, 'They could have done better if he was in the team'," Pickering said.

"I just wish the whole situation would go away really.

"I think people will always talk about it. Say we come second at a major championships, people will say 'you could have won if he was in the team'.

"From my point of view, there's no relief that it's clarified or not, my job is just to run as fast as I can and run my leg well. It's not my job to pick the team.

"I'm not punching the air about it."

Explaining the widely-expected decision, UK Athletics head coach Charles Van Commenee said long-term considerations rather than the short-term benefit of a potential medal at this year's World Championships in Berlin - where Chambers is eligible to compete - were the key factors.

"Dwain is not eligible for the 2012 Olympic Games in London and, of course, that has influenced our decision," the Dutchman said.

"We did consider the option of including him in the relay squad for Berlin but opportunities in a competitive environment are too limited for him to prepare properly within the team.

"I have had an amicable and open discussion with Dwain and he understands our reasoning. I'm sure he can continue to make a strong contribution to the team on an individual basis.

"I want to be absolutely clear that this decision is purely about performance and the appropriate preparation for a major championship.

"It is not an indication of any bad feeling among British sprinters, nor is it a response to the publication of any book," Van Commenee added in reference to Chambers' book, 'Race Against Me', which went on sale on Monday.

Chambers said: "I am comfortable with the decision and I feel it is important that the 4x100m team go out to Berlin and succeed. I wish them all the best."