Conte in £35m Ox bid
ISAAC MAKWALA was still fuming despite qualifying for the 200m final here last night.
The Botswana runner had to race in a 200m time trial then a semi-final in just over two hours after a U-turn by the World Athletics Championships governing body. He had been eventually passed fit following the virus that put him into quarantine.
Makwala was reinstated to the 200m and he made his point by energetically doing press-ups after his successful time trial.
But Makwala, 30, was angry for having missed out on Tuesday’s 400m final as he set up a revenge clash with its winner Wayde van Niekerk, who only just made it into today’s 200m final.
Makwala, who after the time trial finished second in his semi-final despite running in the wettest lane, said: “Yes, I am running with anger. The 400m is my race.
“I’m still running with my heart broken. The 400m is what I trained for. The 200m is what I do sometimes.”
Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake insisted he had no issues with his rival’s reinstatement despite having had an anxious wait to qualify as a fastest loser after finishing third behind Makwala.
The USA-based sprinter said: “My coach told me he would be running when I was warming up but that doesn’t faze me.
“It doesn’t matter if he was in the race or not. Mentally this guy is strong. It’s not easy to go through what he has gone through.”
Van Niekerk only made it into the final as a fastest loser, finishing third in his semi in 20.28 as he bids to make it a golden double.
Makwala had been controversially withdrawn from Monday’s 200m heats then Tuesday’s 400m final after being blocked from entering the stadium because of the norovirus outbreak.
The world’s fastest runner over 200m this year and seen as a leading contender in both events, he had insisted he was fit enough to race despite vomiting on Monday.
But the IAAF said he had an infectious disease and needed to be quarantined to guarantee the safety of the other 2,000 athletes competing in London.
Makwala’s quarantine period ended at 2pm yesterday and after a medical examination showed he was fit, they accepted a written request from his federation for him to race. CHELSEA have stepped up the pressure on Arsenal with an increased bid of £35 million for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Premier League champions had an initial £25m offer rebuffed by the Gunners, but manager Antonio Conte is a massive fan of the England player and is determined to recruit him before the transfer window closes.
Conte sees his versatility as either a right winger or wing-back as a valuable addition to a squad he feels is currently understrength, with Champions League football looming.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has only one year left on his Arsenal deal and can leave for nothing at the end of the season.
It is understood the 23-year-old has told Gunners manager Arsene Wenger he is ready for a change, though the Frenchman would like him to stay.
Chelsea have so far spent nearly £130m this summer bringing in Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Willy Caballero but Conte is adamant he needs more players in order to defend the title and mount a Champions League campaign.
Conte said: “The club know very well my opinion about this issue.
“For us it’s very important to improve our squad and our quality.”