The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 23 June 2001 Tom Knight AT his best, Iwan Thomas could look forward to winning the 400 metres gold medal at the World Championships in Edmonton in six weeks' time. Just how far Thomas is from recapturing his best form, however, will become apparent in the Weserstadion here today when, as a late replacement for the injured Daniel Caines, the 27-year-old lines up for Britain in the European Cup. It was three seasons ago that Thomas swept all before him. In 1998 he won the European, World Cup and Commonwealth titles and his adventurous style of running suggested he might pose a serious challenge to Michael Johnson's supremacy over one lap. It was not to be. An ankle injury in the winter of 1999 led to two years of misery, when repeated attempts at a comeback were cut short by further injuries. Last year he did manage to string together enough performances to earn Olympic selection in the relay and was a member of the weakened quartet who finished sixth in the final. He was, though, "running on heart with nothing in the tank". Free at last from his injuries, Thomas is back, determined to prove he can still cut it in an event rendered wide open by Johnson's decision to retire and miss the World Championships. Despite the long, hard road back to fitness, Thomas's enthusiasm has never been in doubt. He claims to be as confident as ever but admits that victory today will provide the fillip his season needs. "It feels as if I've been away forever because I don't even count what happened last year," he said. "It's been a very hard two years but my times in training suggest I'm almost there. I'm over my injuries, I've had a good winter's preparation and now all I need are the races. Coming into this team for Daniel gives me the perfect opportunity to show what I can do." The first thing Thomas has to do is protect Britain's record in the European Cup 400m, which amounts to six victories in the last seven years. On paper, Thomas is the quickest in the field, with his personal best of 44.36sec, but that British record was set four years ago. A more realistic form-guide comes with his 2001 best of 46.16sec, a time which ranks him only seventh in today's race. "I reckon I'm at least a second better than that," Thomas added. "After this weekend I'll have three weeks to really pull my finger out and prepare for the trials. Hopefully, it's all coming together at last. Johnson's absence this year means the event is wide open for everyone, not just me." Max Jones, UK Athletics' performance director, said yesterday that Britain's men still had every chance of retaining the trophy they won last year in Gateshead. Despite seven withdrawals from the original team, Jones said only Germany and France would offer any realistic opposition. He also thought the women could achieve their best result since 1994 when they finished second in Birmingham. "With no dominant nation, this cup becomes more competitive every year." said Jones. "With our full-strength side, we would win it. We still can. "The team contains a fair number of untried youngsters but on an occasion like this, they can become inspired and then anything is possible." Among the young athletes in Britain's team is Mark Lewis- Francis, the 18-year-old world junior champion who was called into the 100m to replace the injured Dwain Chambers. This will be his first senior outdoor international event. "The pressure will be on Mark to score maximum points but I'm sure he'll respond," said Jones. "He already represents one of our big hitters and, in any case, when you're 18, you want to take on the world." Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
