大象传媒

He wasn't even sweating. Not even a pant. as the fastest man in the 100m heats of the Olympic qualifiers and he looked happy. "I'm just going to let my feet do the talking," he said, referring to Wednesday's court case.

How I could have done with his legs earlier after an agonising crawl up the M1. Thank you Clive Anderson by the way, for keeping my pecker up with your radio chat between junctions 10 and 12.

Birmingham's Alexander Stadium is now my new home for 53 hours. It's. Yes, as if you didn't know, there's an Olympics coming up and Britain's top athletes are fighting for qualification. (For those of you heading here this weekend, if you get lost, just head for the big black cloud sitting over the M6).

This is serious business. The first batch of athletes will get their nod for Beijing on Monday, and performances here will have a huge bearing on those decisions. Judging by tonight's showing, Chambers will be heading to the courts as the fastest man at the trials. It was cruise-control, and those that were in the stadium (anybody know how many people make a crowd?) gave him a round of mild applause. At least 93 sets of claps and, for the record, no boos.

Having almost got my fingers burned last Sunday by threatening to wear my dad's old Federer-lookalike cardigan in the office for a week if , I'm a little wary of making ridiculous predictions. But, no matter, here goes with a little something for the 100m final on Saturday:

1. Dwain Chambers wins in 10:11
2. Simeon Williamson 10.18
3. Harry Aikines-Ayreetey 10.26

This won't matter a jot if it all goes legally pear-shaped for Chambers next week, but one thing's for sure, there is no one set path for an athlete dreaming of Beijing.

With the whirlwind of negativity that's blowing round Chambers' Olympic journey, here are two other athletes - a pair of jumpers if you like - I bumped into after my epic car trip, who are helping to put a smile back on the face of athletics.

Triple jumper Phillips Idowu and long jumper Greg Rutherford. Two great athletes, two perfect role models. Same dream, different routes.

Let's start with the red-haired wonder. I say red; it changes with the weather, but I can officially, and probably not exclusively, reveal that his hair WILL be red in China.

After Commonwealth gold in 2006, Idowu has endured two years of hearing the words "Ooooh he's got great potential but he's never really done it." Times are changing. After a niggling back injury last year, 2008 has been a cracker for Hackney's finest.

He became in March - his first world title - and he's now gagging for some more.

"It's been a great year," he told me. "It feels great performing at my best. I've already won a gold and it looks like I'm working through to another one. People have shown a lot of belief in me and it's great to pay them back.

"The word potential has been used a lot and there was a danger it was just going to turn to waste. I'm injury-free, world number one - I couldn't ask for anything else from a year for the Olympics."

He puts his success down to many things. Lying naked in the darkness of a floatation tank was one of them, being with friends and family putting up with his behaviour was another.

"At the end of the year they'll understand the sacrifices and me not speaking to them when I've won gold and they're all driving round in Bentleys!"

And what if he really does win Olympic gold? "I haven't really thought beyond round six here in Birmingham, but I can tell you it would be a complete emotional explosion."

And on to Rutherford. who burst on to the athletics stage with a string of top showings - he was the youngest ever winner of the senior AAA long jump title in 2005 - and was only 19 when he won silver at the European Champs a year later.

Sporting the finest spikiest ginger barnet in town, he looked full of the joys. Within two minutes, my head had gone from "the Olympics means everything" to "the Olympics means nothing".

A week ago he found out his grandfather had terminal cancer. His granddad had followed Greg all through his career - had actually watched Greg in the Alexander stadium two years ago - and now he was lying in hospital, having lost half his body weight and close to saying goodbye.

"I have hardly slept for a week so it's not perfect preparation, but it puts it all into perspective. From his bed, he told me to go out and just go for it," Rutherford said.

He has also had to contend with a series of injuries, and with limited jumping experienced in the run-in to the trials; getting that 8.20m qualifying distance seems a tall order.

"My body's let me down a few times, but apart from a lack of sleep, physically I'm fine. What I'll do is compete, win, and then go back and give my granddad the medal."

And Greg Rutherford's idol when he was growing up? Yep, Dwain Chambers.