DWAIN Chambers is gearing up to proving himself an exception to the English sporting rule.

While our footballers, cricketers and tennis players fall short of ultimate success, the sprinter is in grave danger of proving himself a winner.

But his lightning speed must be sending the blood rushing to his head if he believes athletes should get the same media coverage and financial rewards as top footballers.

English sport is becoming world class at being also rans. England's football team got us all excited in the World Cup before being outclassed in the last eight and Tim Henman went one round further before meeting his master at Wimbledon. Our cricketers' ability at failing to win until the pressure is off is fabled.

Chambers is a different animal entirely. This might be a year when world 100m number one Maurice Greene is not at his best as he tinkers with his technique but for Chambers to beat a man previously deemed unbeatable twice in a matter of days is genuine world class.

It does not justify his claim, however, that he should get the same media treatment and earn the same kind of money as the David Beckhams and Michael Owens of this world.

Whether Chambers likes it or not the amount of fame and finance available in sport is dependent upon the market forces of supply and demand. It is all about putting bums on seats and a sportsman's ability to sell merchandise. How many British athletics vests have been sold with Chambers' name on the back in the last year? At a rough guess I'd say about 10 million fewer than Manchester United, Liverpool and England football shirts sporting the names Beckham and Owen.

It doesn't matter if Chambers is more successful than our vastly paid and hyped football stars, athletics is a minority sport in the market place compared to football and Chambers should accept that and get on with becoming a rare breed in this summer's Commonwealth Games and European Championships - an English sporting winner.