Ohuruogu poised for last 400m of the season

Published on Saturday 30 August 2008 00:41

OLYMPIC 400 metres gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu is set to make her last appearance over the distance this season in the Aviva British Grand Prix at Gateshead tomorrow.

Although she has other races in the pipeline, Ohuruogu refused an invitation to compete over one lap at last night's Weltklasse Golden League meeting in Zurich and, at the sixth and last GL meeting in Brussels next Friday, will race in the 200m.

The newly-crowned Games champion ruffled the feathers of Zurich's meeting director Patrick Magyar, her non-appearance in the Letzigrund stadium robbing the 'Three Hours Olympics' event of an eagerly-awaited rematch with American Sanya Richards.

Zurich organisers, who have the wealthiest budget of any of the world's track meetings, are not used to athletes declining to take part in their event and their disappointment can be understood given their intention of inviting as many Olympic champions as possible.

However, Ohuruogu is well advised and her team of manager Ricky Simms and coach Lloyd Cowan clearly see no point in any meaningless post Olympic head-to-heads with Richards at either forthcoming GL venues or even the WAF.

No-one doubts the US star can go to the top of the world rankings by lowering the time of 49.62seconds that earned Ohuruogu victory in the Bird's Nest, and run even faster before the end of the season. But that will just confirm the theory 23-year-old Richards is a one-race specialist.

Magyar made the very valid point that a year ago Ohuruogu, having won the world title only three weeks after returning from a one-year suspension for missing three out-of-competition tests, was made very welcome in Zurich.

But Ohuruogu also appeared at other venues for the simple reason that despite picking up big prize money for her victory in Osaka, she was broke after a year in the wilderness without any financial support.

The 24-year-old east Londoner, now returning to solvency, does not need to compete at every meeting and her stance that as Olympic champion she can call the shots is reminiscent of Linford Christie, who after his 1992 Olympic 100m success also snubbed the Zurich meeting.

Now she is just getting on with her life as normally as she can, although inevitably there have been disruptions to her regular lifestyle, and not relaxing her training regime.

"It still hasn't sunk in yet and it's been very hectic. I've been training in the morning and doing media sessions in the afternoon," said Ohuruogu.

With the London Olympics being held on her doorstep, she admitted: "It will be an honour if people see me as the poster girl of 2012 – if that is what comes about. It would be extra special for me that the venue is my local area." Ohuruogu is under no illusions about the pressure she faces over the next four years but is confident she can cope with it on and off the track, saying: "I've learned to deal with the pressure."