Christine Ohuruogu

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Medal record
Christine Ohuruogu
Women's athletics
World Championships
Gold	2007 Osaka	400 m
Bronze	2005 Helsinki	4x400 m relay
Bronze	2007 Osaka	4x400 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold	2006 Melbourne	400 m

Christine Ohuruogu (born May 17, 1984 in east London) is an English sprinter of Nigerian heritage who specialises in the 400 metres - the event for which she is the current World Champion.

Ohuruogu's Personal Best of 49.61 ranks her third amongst British women 400 m runners, behind Olympic medallists Kathy Cook and Katharine Merry.

She was banned for a year in 2006 for missing 3 out-of-competition drugs tests.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Athletics career 2.1 2006 Commonwealth Games Relay Controversy 2.2 Competition Suspension 2.3 2007 Athletics World Championships 2.4 Personal bests 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Biography

Born to Nigerian parents in East London,^[1] she was raised less than one mile from the 2012 Summer Olympics stadium in Stratford.^[2] Ohuruogu studied linguistics at University College London, where she played netball, but quit in 2003 in order to concentrate on competitive athletics. Christine also has 8 other siblings, one of whom is Victoria Ohuruogu, a top sprints competitor in her age group.

She is a member of Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club.

[edit] Athletics career

In 2003 Ohuruogu was a bronze medallist at 400 m at the European Junior Championships. She became the AAA champion in the 400 m in 2004, was a semi-finalist in the 400 m at the Athens Olympics of 2004, also taking part in the 4 x 400 m relay team that finished 4th. In the 2005 European Under 23 Championships she took the silver medal, losing individual gold by a hundredth of a second. She also won silver at 4 x 400 m relay.

After reaching the semi-final at the 400 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics she won a bronze medal in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay together with Lee McConnell, Donna Fraser and Nicola Sanders.

She won a gold medal for England in the 400 m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in a personal best time of 50.28 seconds, beating favourite Tonique Williams-Darling in both her semi-final and the final.^[3].

Within 24 days of the end of her year-long competition suspension she returned to surprise the field and win the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. Fellow British athlete, Nicola Sanders took the silver with Novlene Williams of Jamaica in third. Ohuruogu had won all three of her individual races at the world championships - her heat, her semi-final, plus the final. The fastest woman in the world, Sanya Richards, did not qualify for the World Championships, after failing to make the United States team.

[edit] 2006 Commonwealth Games Relay Controversy

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Ohurougu ran the final leg in the 4x400 m relay for England. On the second leg with 200 m to go until the third change-over, Jamaica were leading with Australia second and England in third. The rules are that the change over athletes are to line up in order of the position at 200 m. This would have meant that Jamaica would have the inside lane, then Australia with England third from the inside. However, between 200 m and 300 m of the second leg, Nicola Sanders of England over took Caitlin Willis meaning coming up to the third change, the English team were second, with Australia in third place. Natasha Danvers-Smith, the English athlete changed places with the Australian, Tamsyn Lewis. On the home straight, however, Willis and Sanders ran in the 2nd and 3rd lane respectively, and had to change over to pass the baton, as they were obviously aware of the rules. The English team went on to win the race, with Ohuruogu pulling away at the end.

Lewis went on to complain to the officials, though her Australian teammate, Jana Pitman, sided with the English team, saying they had won fairly. However, after the English team had completed speeches, interviews and a victory lap, they were then disqualified from the race, and the Australians were awarded the gold medal. The reason given was that the rules were breached when Danvers-Smith changed position with Lewis, as she should not have used the second lane, and in doing so the English team had 'obstructed' the Australians. Additional controversy was caused when CCTV of the athletes lining up for the baton change was shown. Tamsyn Lewis, the Australian athlete, seemed to tell Natasha Danvers-Smith to go ahead of her. However, this evidence was disregarded by the officials, and the English team remained disqualified.

[edit] Competition Suspension

Christine Ohuruogu was suspended from competing in the 2006 European Athletics Championships. The reason for this was that she missed three out of competition drugs tests, one in October 2005 and two in June 2006. According to IAAF and British Olympic Association rules, she received a one-year ban for missing these tests. The British Olympic Association also banned her from competing at future Olympic Games for Great Britain.^[4] She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the original decision was upheld.^[5]. She appealed against her Olympic ban and it was overturned on November 27. She also stated - in jest - that she would probably leave Britain and compete in the Olympics for another country if her appeal is unsuccessful. ^[6][7] In the event, her ban was overturned on 27 August 2007, leaving her free to compete for Britain in future games.

Her ban was completed on the original date of 5 August 2007.^[8]

[edit] 2007 Athletics World Championships

A day after her ban was finished, Ohuruogu was selected for the British team at the 2007 Athletics World Championships. Christine Ohuruogu had only ran five competitive races before the final since her suspension however she managed to take the individual 400 m and secure the only gold medal for Great Britain at the Championships, while her compatriot Nicola Sanders won silver. She also took bronze in the 400 m relay.

[edit] Personal bests

• 200 metres - 22.94 s (2008)
• 400 metres - 49.61 (2007)

[edit] See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

[edit] References