Baumann forced to bow to Martinez at the line

ATHLETIC: Another epic 10,000 metres unfolded in Munich last night, and this time it was a tactical and exhilarating race that had the German crowd roaring wildly until the very end. For them it was about one man only - Dieter Baumann.

But the man unbeatable on the night was the Spaniard Jose Manuel Martinez, who ran as hard as steel to deny Baumann the gold medal he has so craved over the past three years. Just a stride separated them on the line, with Martinez taking the title in 27 minutes, 47.65 seconds. Baumann was just 0.23 of a second behind.

After three years of fighting a legal battle to clear his name of a doping offence - one which over time has become more weighed down by uncertainty - it was still a remarkable comeback for Baumann. His effort for gold was absolute, and after crossing the line he quickly raised his arms in triumph.

And coming into the homestretch it appeared the gold was his. Martinez had broken at the bell with fellow shaven-headed Spaniard Jose Rios, but they failed to drop Baumann, who sat coolly in third. But while he swept past Rios, the finish line came that bit too early.

In the stand the German crowd chanted "Dieter". And they had followed him around each lap with a Mexican wave. It was clear that his past was now truly behind him and there may not be a warmer welcome for any athlete at these championships.

Throughout the race, too, Baumann looked like the controlled and confident athlete who won Olympic gold over 5,000 metres in Barcelona and the European title also in 1994. Now 37, his best years are behind him, but after a night like this his legendary status in Germany has grown yet again.

Séamus Power, who was making his first appearance at a major track championships after years of trying, found the pace hard going and was trailed off after the first mile. To his credit, the Irish track and cross country champion kept going until the finish, which he reached in 29.43.65 when bringing up the rear of the field.

Germany's other favourite athlete, Heike Drechsler, couldn't quite reproduce her glory days in the long jump. Having won the title in every European Championships since Stuttgart 1986, Drechsler, at 37, is still competing at the highest level, but on the night lost out to younger and sharper athletes.

Russia's Tatyana Kotova took the gold medal with a leap of 6.85 metres, while Britain's Jade Johnson produced a lifetime best of 6.73 to take silver. Drechsler's best of 6.64 was only good enough for fifth place.

The honour of Europe's fastest man, meanwhile, stays in Britain. Dwain Chambers ran away with the 100 metres in Munich last night with the sort of dominating performance usually reserved for the Americans, and in the process maintained Britain's hold on the title that stretches back to 1986.

After collapsing with muscle cramp in the Commonwealth Games final two weeks ago, Chambers came to Munich with some doubts about his chances, but determined to regain his status as one of the world's top sprinters. And he was faultless through the qualifying rounds and untouchable, too, when taking the gold in 9.96 seconds - a championship record.

Chambers was helped a little when his main rival, Georgios Theodoridis of Greece, was a victim of his own over-ambition and disqualified for two false starts.

Francis Obikwelu from Portugal held on for silver in 10.06 while Darren Campbell, the champion four years back in Budapest, gave Britain bronze in 10.15.

Ekaterini Thanou made no mistake for Greece in the women's final and took the title in 11.10 seconds.