Athletics: Chambers and Hansen lift gloom as Britain are beaten

Britain's European champions, Dwain Chambers and Ashia Hansen, gave a capacity rain-drenched crowd the home success they craved in the Norwich Union Challenge in the chilly driving rain here at Scotstoun Stadium yesterday.

Chambers, the European 100 metres champion, took the lead by halfway and he held off a strong fightback from Coby Miller, an Olympic 200m finalist, to take a photo-finish in 10.28 seconds.

Chambers, beaten by the Americans Tim Montgomery and Miller in the 100m in Zurich on Friday, said: "This is the coldest I've ever run in. I was happy just to go out and get it over with. They were all over me at the start. I just had to get out there and fight. I want to keep ahead of the opposition and make them feel demoralised when they go out against me."

Hansen could not produce her 15-metre form in the triple jump but she put the pressure on with her 13.84m opener and won with a stadium record of 13.96m in the third round.

In the men's triple jump, Jonathan Edwards was put under pressure by the Russian Igor Spasovkhodsky, who put in a second-round leap of 17.32m. But Edwards responded in the following series with a jump of 17.54m to win it. "He made it a necessity with that second-round jump," Edwards said. "I knew he was coming here ready to take me on."

The Welshman Colin Jackson paid the price for a slow start in finishing second behind Larry Wade in the 110m hurdles. The 35-year-old double world champion and world record holder, who will retire next year, again got the better of his arch-rival Allen Johnson but the other American representative, Wade, proved too strong and won in 13.24sec. Jackson clocked 13.32 and Johnson 13.45.

"I had a record-breaking bad start," Jackson said. "In these conditions getting back was impossible."

The Russian Sergei Makarov, the silver medallist behind the four-times European champion Steve Backley in Munich, took revenge on the Briton with a throw of 87.99 metres to win the javelin. Backley was second with 83.06.

Another Russian victory came in the women's pole vault where the European champion, Svetlana Feofanova, continued her excellent form by clearing 4.62m. The world record holder, Stacy Dragila, could only finish third.

The sprinter Joice Maduaka won the women's 200m in 23.37sec, while Michael East produced his now familiar strong finish to win the men's 1500m in a less than spectacular three minutes 55.18 seconds.

In the women's 1500m, the Commonwealth champion, Kelly Holmes, took the lead after 500m but her legs gave out down the home straight and Russia's Tatyana Tomasheva won in 4min 09.64sec with Holmes second in 4:10.38. "It has been hard year," she said. "But we are here to turn out for the British supporters."

The United States won the meeting with 144 points, with Britain second on 117, one point ahead of Russia.

NORWICH UNION CHALLENGE RESULTS

NORWICH UNION CHALLENGE (GB v Rus v US) (Scotstoun, Glasgow): Finals, leading results: MEN: 100m: 1 D Chambers (GB) 10.28sec; 2 C Miller (US) 10.29; 3 J Drummond (US) 10.34; 4 J Gardener (GB) 10.34. 200m: 1 D Patton (US) 20.16sec; 2 M Devonish (GB) 20.60; 3 R Clay (US) 20.62; 4 C Malcolm (GB) 20.82. 400m: 1 A Pettigrew (US) 46.13sec; 2 A Taylor (US) 46.40; 3 J Deacon (GB) 46.46; 4 D Ladejo (GB) 46.70. 1500m: 1 M East (GB) 3min 55.15sec; 2 A Zadorozhniy (Rus) 3:55.73; 3 B Berryhill (US) 3:55.93; 5 T Whiteman (GB) 3:57.21. 4x100m relay: 1 Great Britain 39.48sec; 2 Russia 39.66; 3 United States 39.86. 110m hurdles: 1 L Wade (US) 13.24sec; 2 C Jackson (GB) 13.32; 3 A Johnson (US) 13.45. Selected, dnf: T Jarred (GB). 400m hurdles: 1 J Woody (US) 49.14sec; 2 J Carter (US) 49.25; 3 M Elias (GB) 49.46; 5 A Borsumato (GB) 49.72. Javelin: 1 S Makarov (Rus) 87.99m; 2 S Backley (GB) 83.06; 3 A Ivanov (Rus) 82.90; 4 M Hill (GB) 75.86. Long Jump: 1 S Stringfellow (US) 8.20m; 2 M Pate (US) 8.15; 3 D Burkenya (Rus) 7.77; 5 C Tomlinson (GB) 7.57; 6 D Ritchie (GB) 7.54. Triple jump: 1 J Edwards (GB) 17.54m; 2 I Spasovkhodskiy (Rus) 17.32; 3 P Idowu (GB) 17.28.

WOMEN: 100m: 1 C Gaines (US) 11.12sec; 2 T Edwards (US) 11.34; 3 M Kislova (Rus) 11.50; 4 A Oyepitan (GB) 11.56; 6 A Forrester (GB) 11.77. 200m: 1 J Maduaka (GB) 23.37sec; 2 S Anderson (GB) 23.59; 3 T Edwards (US) 23.85. 400m: 1 J Miles-Clark (US) 51.65sec; 2 M Hennagan (US) 52.14; 3 L McConnell (GB) 52.16; 6 M Purkiss (GB) 54.00. 1500m: 1 T Tomashova (Rus) 4min 09.64sec; 2 K Holmes (GB) 4:10.38; 3 S Schwald (US) 4:12.82; 5 S Scott (GB) 4:12.90. 100m hurdles: 1 G Devers (US) 12.79sec; 2 A Kirkland (US) 12.81; 3 S Laukhova (Rus) 13.06; 4 J Pratt (GB) 13.25; 6 D Allahgreen (GB) 13.42. Hammer: 1 O Kuzenkova (Rus) 71.73m; 2 A Mahon (US) 66.69; 3 L Shaw (GB) 63.62; 6 Z Derham (GB) 55.23. Pole vault: 1 S Feofanova (Rus) 4.62m; 2 Y Isinbayeva (Rus) 4.50; 3 S Dragila (US) 4.50; 5 I Hill (GB) 3.75; 6 K Dennison (GB) 3.60. Triple jump: 1 A Hansen (GB) 13.96m; 2 Y Oleynikova (Rus) 13.76; 3 A Pyatykh (Rus) 13.62; 5 M Griffith (GB) 13.44. 4x100m relay: 1 Russia 43.99sec; 2 United States 44.03. Dnf: Great Britain.

Final standings: 1 United States 144pts; 2 Great Britain 117; 3 Russia 116.