DWAYNE Chambers is hoping he will be able to compete at the London Olympic Games in front of his ‘hometown’ fans, but admits he has to wait to find out if an appeal against his lifetime ban for steroid use will be overturned.

Chambers, who won the bronze medal in the defence of his IAAF World Indoor 60m title in Turkey in March, ran the lead-off leg on the MVP’s 4x100m relay team at Saturday’s UTech Classic at the National Stadium. He says he has to put the wait at the back of his mind and continue preparing in the event the ban is lifted.

Conceding to the Jamaica Observer that he had heard nothing about his appeal, a relaxed Chambers said: “I just have to put it at the back of my mind and if I said I wasn’t thinking about it I would be lying because it has been on my mind.”

The 34-year-old, whose personal best of 9.97 seconds done in Seville, Spain in 1999 makes him the second fastest Englishman behind Lindford Christie, 9.87, said he had to find distractions to keep him focused on working hard.

“I have to be professional and just try and use the group atmosphere to keep my mind occupied, and it has been working so far.”

The former World Junior record-holder over 100m (10.96 seconds in 1997) admitted it was important to participate in the world’s biggest sporting spectacle which will be held on his home soil.

“Naturally, it is our home Olympics and I’m a British athlete and ultimately, I would want to compete like any other athlete that’s there, but we just have to wait and see what happens.”

In addition, he was banned from the Commonwealth Games for life and was also ‘blacklisted’ by a number of top European meet organisers and has had to be running in smaller meets than he was accustomed to before 2003.

Since returning to competitive track and field in 2006 after serving just over two years for the use of Tetrahydrogestrinone (often referred to as THG, or The Clear), Chambers has filed at least two appeals.

The first was filed in 2008, but despite winning the 100m at the British Trials, he was barred from taking part in the Beijing Games that year.

Chambers, whose parents are Jamaicans and who visits the island often, was in a good mood on Saturday and joked that he hoped he had not caused the British-type rainy weather.

“I hope I did not bring this kind of weather here with me, but this is what I’m used to back in England, but no matter what, it is great to be here and competing at this capacity is fantastic.”

His father, who died last year was, from Kingston and his mother from Portland.

Chambers has been training with the Stephen Francis-coached MVP camp alongside former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter (who finished ahead of him in Turkey in March), and Michael Frater.

“These are guys who I have watched and competed against over the years and now it is an honour to be able to train and compete with them on a regular basis and I’m just hoping it will work well for us this year,” he said.

Chambers had a previous stint in Jamaica with Glen Mills at Racers Track Club and said he has another six weeks left at MVP. “So far it has been fantastic… I want to use this to help me progress,” he declared.

He admitted that Francis’ programme was not the easiest he had ever attempted.

“Training has been kicking my behind, but I love it and I’m grateful to be here and just taking advantage of the weather, the food… the world-class athletes… the camaraderie here has been good,” he said.