Scotland's proud sprinting tradition produced another imposing champion last evening when Doug Walker was as good as his word in winning the European 200 metres championship.

Walker, who predicted he would be Europe's top 200 runner before the end of the season, produced a superb performance of bend running to beat his teammates, Doug Turner and Julian Golding, in a British coup.

Turner, the Welshman who, at 32, believed he could emulate another man of ripe years, Linford Christie, matched the Scot to half way but from that point the winner was clear.

An accomplished rugby player in his school days, Walker started athletics on the professional circuit in Scotland, winning the famed Powder Hall sprint in Edinburgh on New Year's Day.

Later he discovered there was more money to be won on the "amateur" circuit and having gone "legit", collected £20,000 when setting a British 300 metres record at Gateshead in June.

Now, untold riches are opening up for him after conceding all the advantages in experience to his rivals and running them down in an irresistible charge to the line.

"This is great - finally I have won something big," he said. "It was tough with all the lane one draws I got in the earlier rounds but I still managed.

"One thing is for certain - I will not run the 400 metres again. That is way too long for me and, besides, that's now Iwan Thomas's territory."

Iwan Thomas, a long-striding Welshman, powered to victory in the 400 metres, in 44.52 seconds.

But hopes of another British sweep were dashed when Poland's Robert Mackowiak (45.04) finished stronger than Mark Richardson (45.14) and Solomon Wariso, controversially selected ahead of dual European champion Roger Black, faded to sixth.

To add to the controversy, Wariso was then disqualified.

Russian Irina Privalova successfully defended her women's 200 metres title and German Grit Breur was, as expected, too strong in the women's 400 metres final.