Dwain Chambers was the biggest talking point at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham - even though he did not compete.
UK Athletics refused to give him an entry for the world's number one meeting - and if they had the choice would not have chosen him for next month's World Indoor Championships,
They hoped the controversy surrounding his controversial selection having served a ban for failing a drugs test might disappear - but they were wrong.
Many British athletes support Chambers' inclusion in the team but refuse to comment publicly because they do not want to spoil their relationships with UKA - with whom they have financial contracts.
However Portugal's Olympic 100metres silver-medallist Francis Obikwelu can speak on the record and he insisted Chambers should be left alone and allowed to pursue his career, having served his suspension.
Obiwelu's opinion and a row between former national coach Malcolm Arnold and Lloyd Cowan marred the atmosphere.
Cowan denied he had been coaching Chambers in midweek and vehemently denied the allegation they were using UKA-paid time to assist Chambers, said: "Neither Mike (McFarlane) nor myself have been coaching Dwain." .
Cowan and Chambers' former coach McFarlane are paid UKA officials at UKA's High Performance Centre at Picketts Lock.
Cowan and Malcolm are respected coaches who are eager to ensure their own athlete gets the one remaining place alongside Chambers in Valencia.
But Cowan, also coach of world 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu, said: "If Malcolm wants to box, he should try to do it cleverly."
Meanwhile, Simeon Williamson pressed home his own 60m claims as he finished second in a personal best and world class time of 6.57 seconds behind Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure.
He effectively threw down the gauntlet to Craig Pickering, who has flourished under the guidance of Arnold since joining his squad but was absent because of illness.
Pickering - last year's European silver medallist - has one last opportunity of gaining the selectors' vote at the SEAT international meeting in Paris next Friday.
However, Cowan is adamant his sprinter should be given the place - having finished runner-up to Chambers in last Saturday's trial race.
Cowan explained: "He's been overlooked for the last three years but his form in the past few weeks surely is enough to give him the place.
"I know from how his training is going he can go much faster and Valencia could see him step further up the ladder into becoming a consistent world class runner."
Williamson, who approves of Chambers competing again for his country, insisted: "I can't make them pick me. I'm in the best form of my life.
"I only hope I have done enough to make the team for Valencia. I've run a personal best and I can't do much more."
While the pair sweat it out until the February 24 deadline for final entries, Kenenisa Bekele's best-ever world performance in the two-mile event was the highlight of the afternoon.
The Ethiopian narrowly broke Haile Gebrselassie's 2003 mark of eight minutes 4.69seconds, with a determined finish over the final 200m lap seeing him finish in 8:04.35.
The best British performances came from Phillips Idowu in the triple jump and Kelly Sotherton.
Idowu had four clearances over 17m, with his best effort in the opening round - 17.21m - earning him victory.
The Commonwealth champion and world indoor medal hopeful said: "Another week, another win, that's the way it should be.
"I'll need a bit more for Valencia, but that's fine, there's more to come."
Sotherton suggested she will be in top form for the World Indoor Championships, where she contests the heptathlon.
Sotherton lost a three-event challenge to Carolina Kluft after a disappointing long-jump display, but brilliantly smashed her best indoor 60m hurdles and 400m times.
She said afterwards: "The long jump let me down - if it wasn't for that I could have won the challenge."
Sotherton finished 18 points behind Kluft - Sweden's Olympic champion - with the Czech Republic's Denisa Scerbova third.
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