NEWPORT'S Christian Malcolm is ready to pit his wits against many of his 200m rivals on Saturday in Birmingham after overcoming slight illness and injury.

Malcolm, who was yesterday officially confirmed in the Great Britain squad for the Olympic games, will run on Saturday at the Norwich Union International in Birmingham against select teams from Europe and the USA.

He had been struggling with a cold and a slight groin problem but his coach Jock Anderson has declared him fit and raring to go.

He said: "Christian's progress in the 200m is going really well now and he is really picking things up at the right time.

"He was a bit flat after the trials and was suffering from a bit of a cold but he is fine now.

"He has also had a slight groin problem that needed an injection but that is quite a long standing problem and is absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Christian is in really good shape for the weekend and is looking forward to it, it's another step in his Athens preparation."

Malcolm will compete in Birmingham and then at Crystal Palace on July 30 before moving onto Cyprus to do some warm weather training.

One man not selected in the final squad for Athens is Welshman Iwan Thomas, who has hit out at the GB selectors after being left out.

Another Welsh star, Matt Elias and former American Malachi Davis are selected in preference to Thomas and Jock Anderson feels that Thomas should accept the decision, although he does have sympathy.

He said: "I feel for Iwan because he's a great athlete but if you don't do it at the trials you can't be surprised when you are not picked for the Olympics, that is how it goes.

"Christian has had times when he has been overlooked and he has been in competitive form, that is the nature of this sport.

"But I am surprised that Davis has been picked for the 400m as well as the relay, really surprised to be honest.

"It is for the selectors to decide but to put him in front of the lad who finished third at the trials (Sean Baldock) and into the relay is not really fair on some of the lads. This decision with Davis was all done at the last minute and I personally don't think it is right."

100m: D Campbell (Sale), J Gardener (Wessex & Bath), M Lewis-Francis (Birchfield). 200m: D Campbell (Sale), C Lambert (Belgrave), C Malcolm (Cardiff). 400m: T Benjamin (Belgrave), D Caines (Birchfield), M Davis (unattached). 800m: R Soos (Mansfield). 1500m: M East (Newham & Essex Beagles). 5000m: J Mayock (Barnsley). Marathon: J Brown (Sheffield), D Robinson (Tipton), M O'Dowd (Swindon). 110m hurdles: R Newton (Sale), A Turner (Notts). 400m hurdles: M Douglas (Belgrave), C Rawlinson (Trafford). 3,000m steeplechase: J Chaston (Belgrave). Pole vault: N Buckfield (Crawley). Long jump: C Tomlinson (Newham and Essex Beagles). Triple jump: N Douglas (Oxford), P Idowu (Belgrave). Discus: E Udechuku (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies). Javelin: S Backley (Cambridge Harriers), N Nieland (Shaftesbury Barnet). Decathlon: D Macey (Harrow). 4x100m: D Campbell (Sale), M Devonish (Coventry), J Gardener (Wessex & Bath), C Lambert (Belgrave), M Lewis-Francis (Birchfield), C Malcolm (Cardiff), D Grant (Blackheath & Bromley), N Smith (Shaftsbury Barnet). 4x400m: S Baldock (Belgrave), T Benjamin (Belgrave), D Caines (Birchfield), C Rawlinson (Trafford), R Tobin (Basingstoke), M Elias (Cardiff), M Davis (Unattached).

Women 200m: A Oyepitan (Shaftesbury Barnet), J Maduaka (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies). 400m: D Fraser (Croydon), L McConnell (Shaftesbury Barnet), C Ohuruogu (Newham & Essex Beagles). 800m: J Fenn (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies), K Holmes (Ealing, Southall & Middlesex). 1500m: H Tullett (Swansea), K Holmes (Ealing, Southall & Middlesex), J Pavey (Exeter). 5,000m: J Pavey (Exeter). 10,000m: P Radcliffe (Bedford), K Butler (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow). Marathon: T Morris (Valley Striders), P Radcliffe (Bedford), E Yelling (Bedford). 100m hurdles: S Clacton (Belgrave). Long jump: J Johnson (Herne Hill Harriers). Discus: P Roles (Sale), S Newman (Belgrade). Hammer: L Shaw (Sale), S Webb (Trafford). Javelin: G Sayers (Belgrave). Heptathlon: D Lewis (Birchfield), K Sotherton (Birchfield). 4x400m: D Fraser (Croydon), H Karagounis (Birchfield), L McConnell (Shaftesbury & Barnet), C Marshall (Edinburgh Woollen Mill), C Ohuruogu (Newham & Essex Beagles), C Murphy (Shaftsbury Barnet).