Sure-shot Rodgers strikes gold for Scotland

GLASGOW'S Alison Rodgers, the Loughborough-based Scottish champion, won the shot at the UK Championships and World Trials in Sheffield yesterday with a heave of 16.02 metres, just 3cms short of her own national record. It was Scotland's first gold of the meeting and an impressive performance from Rodgers.

But the day was dominated by Dwain Chambers who confirmed his status as a genuine contender for the World Indoor title by storming to the fastest time in the world this year. Chambers blasted to a time of 6.50sec to claim the title for the third year in succession ahead of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Craig Pickering at the English Institute of Sport.

Aikines-Aryeetey set a new personal best of 6.55secs in second with Pickering clocking 6.66. Olympic relay gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis was fourth in 6.67. Dunfermline's Nick Smith failed to find his best form, finishing fifth in 6.72 secs where his best of 6.63secs could have earned him the bronze medal.

Elsewhere, Guy Learmonth, a sixth year pupil at Longridge Towers in Berwick-on-Tweed, smashed his own Scottish Under-20 record by .31 sec when he stormed into today's 800 metres final. Already the Scottish champion at just 17, he boldly went with two older and faster runners in his heat and actually tried to pass them in the home straight before settling for third. Andrew Osagie (Harlow) took the race in 1:50.67 with Mark Berridge (Basingstoke) second in 1:50.71. But Learmonth, whose father Mark sprinted for Scotland in the eighties, was rewarded with a fastest loser place in the final in a new best of 1:50.98.

Former Scottish champion Graeme Oudney (Pitreavie) failed to join his young fellow countryman when he faded badly to fifth in the third and final heat after being one of the pace-setters for much of the race.

There was more disappointment for Scotland when Commonwealth silver medallist Chris Baillie (Glasgow) pulled up with cramp coming off the final barrier in the 60 metres hurdles when he was clearly in the medals then revealed that he was in severe pain: "I knew it was going to hurt – both calves have been troubling me for the last few weeks but today it was the left one.

"I thought I was OK and wouldn't have come here and run if I'd felt I couldn't compete with and beat those guys," said the Bath-based Victoria Park club member. "According to the physios there's no actual damage," he added.

Scotland's first medal came when Loughborough-based Hen Paxton took the silver in the pole vault with a leap of 4.21 metres and had three tries at a new national record of 4.31m.