BUDAPEST Ukrainian shot putter Aleksandr Bagach, who has been banned twice for taking drugs, won the European title here on Tuesday just over a year after he lost his world crown and the 60,000 dollars prizemoney for taking ephedrine although he was kept in suspense over whether he would keep the title! Bagach, who had previously served a three year ban when he tested positive in 1989, staved off the challenge of veteran German Sven-Oliver Buder the 31-year-old Ukrainian saved his best for last when he threw a season's best 21.17 meters in the final round.

However, Bagach was not at all clear if he would keep the gold medal as the field judges had apparently voiced their suspicions over the method in which he had won. Though I have won the competition some problems have cropped up in that the judges say I had some weights hidden in my socks, which made my rotation more efficient.

At least that is what they say ... he said. However, later the organizers maintained that he had not been disqualified. Buder, who led for the first two throws, had to be content with silver for the second time at the Europeans, having also taken silver in 1990, while Bagach's compatriot Yuri Belonog stole bronze off Croatia's Dragan Peric on the final throw.

France's world 400 meters hurdles champion Stephane Diagana won his heat but his hopes of the title looked in some doubt as a recurring thigh injury flared up. The 29-year-old, who won bronze in these championships in 1994, said that it had been giving him trouble over the past week and he had only trained for the first time in five days on Monday. It's something like a trapped nerve near the groin that then filters down to my thigh.

I wanted to run 48 seconds today but after the first two hurdles I decided to ease up because it's not worth risking it, Diagana, who ran 49.28, said. I felt it when I warmed up just before I came over to the track. It's very frustrating but I hope that by tomorrow it will have improved, he added. Diagana, who has blamed his injury plagued season on taking too much time off after winning the world title in Athens last August, won with plenty to spare but he will face a tough task, if not 100 percent fit, against the in form Russian Ruslan Maschenko. The men's 20km walk was won by 1996 Olympic silver medalist Ilya Markov of Russia with Latvian Algars Fadejevs taking silver and Francisco Fernandez of Spain in third.

Britain again dominated the men's 100 meters with Marlon Devonish, Darren Campbell and Dwain Chambers winning their second round races although Greek world indoor 60 meters champion Haralambros Papadias looked a distinct threat as he powered home in the fourth heat. (AFP)