Injured Black left facing anxious wait

Everybody who is anybody will be at the British world championship trials starting in Birmingham today. With a couple of major exceptions.

Linford Christie, who led Britain to the European Cup last month, has stuck to his decision not to contest another World Championships, choosing to race in Stuttgart this weekend. And Roger Black, named as Christie's successor to the captaincy, has been obliged to pull out following the virus infection which has undermined his recent form.

It is a wretched piece of timing for Britain's most successful athlete in Atlanta, but while he awaits full details of the blood test he underwent last week, he has been advised by a specialist against attempting to run three races in three days.

"I just ran out of time," Black said yesterday. "I can't subject myself to that programme if I'm not 100 per cent. I have to do what is right for my health."

With automatic qualifying places going to first and second-placed athletes in the Alexander Stadium, Black can only hope the optional third place remains open after Sunday's 400 metres final, which promises to be the high point of the meeting.

Should either of Britain's top two on current form, Iwan Thomas and Mark Richardson, fail to claim automatic places, Black's chance will almost certainly have disappeared. Jamie Baulch, Britain's world indoor silver medallist, could also claim a place with a good run, although he may have to run sub-45sec to convince the selectors.

"If all the others perform well, so be it," Black said. "It's out of my hands. But I'm not wallowing in self-pity. I'll hope for the right roll of the dice. They ran pretty well for me last year."

Britain's other individual silver medallists from Atlanta, Steve Backley and Jonathan Edwards, are both reported to be fit to compete after withdrawing from recent competitions. Backley, who pulled out of the Oslo meeting last Friday with swollen glands in his neck, is due to return against his training partner Mick Hill, who threw over 85 metres in Stockholm in midweek.

Edwards has recovered from the bruised heel which forced him to pull out half-way through the British Grand Prix in Sheffield, and he plans to go straight on to compete in Salamanca, where he first broke the world triple jump record in 1995.

Kelly Holmes, fresh from her impressive 800m victory over the world champion, Ana Quirot of Cuba, will double up at 800 and 1500m this weekend, but she is still favouring the latter distance in Athens next month. Diane Modahl, the former Commonwealth 800m champion, has pulled out of the 800m because of a stress fracture.

Donna Fraser, who took more than half a second off her personal best for 400m in Oslo, will double up at 200 and 400 both in Birmingham and - if all goes to plan - Athens.

The British women's team captain, Sally Gunnell, will be running the trials despite a severe wobble last weekend when she contemplated retirement after suffering her third successive defeat in the space of six days.

"I am disappointed with my recent form," Gunnell said. "But I have a new laid-back approach and I am determined to enjoy myself. I want to be back with the best, but I have to acknowledge that I have had two years out through injury and the event has moved on quite a bit in that time. If things happen, they happen, but I want to enjoy it - it could be my last chance."

Gunnell faces little opposition in her bid to qualify for a fifth World Championships and acknowledges that the event is a weak link in British athletics. Despite this, Gunnell believes British athletics is on a high, with recent individual performances and the European Cup successes giving plenty of hope for August's World Championships.

"We were unlucky in Atlanta," she said. "We had a good amount of silver and bronzes, but we needed that final push for a gold. I think this year luck may be on our side. Things are going really well at the moment and I think we could have a fantastic time in Athens."

The British Athletic Federation has pulled out of the bidding for the 2001 World Championships because of the delay in redeveloping Wembley stadium. Britain will bid instead for the 2003 championships.