Who is Christine Ohuruogu

Born to Nigerian parents in Newham, East London, she was raised less than one mile from the 2012 Summer Olympics stadium in Stratford, East London. Ohuruogu studied at University College, London, where she graduated in Linguistics in 2005.

She also played netball during her undergraduate studies. Christine has 8 other siblings, one of whom is Victoria Ohuruogu, a top sprints competitor in her age group.

Stats & Info:

• Club: Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club
• Date of Birth: 17/05/1984
• Height: 1.73m


• Weight: 69kg
• Coach: Lloyd Cowan
• Personal Bests:
  
• 400m - 49.61
• 200m - 23.40
• Belief: Everyone should always make the most of their talent.
• Motivation: To help continuously improve her level of conditioning and endurance speed to become the best in her event.

Christine Ohuruogu served a one year ban from international athletics from August 2006 for missing three dope tests.

The 23-year-old then lost lottery support and other benefits enjoyed by UK athletes, almost prompting her retirement.

This is what she had to say about it:

• "I was pretty close (to giving it all up). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."


• "I was very angry because it happened too fast and I wasn't prepared for that and I didn't think it would have escalated the way it did."


• "There was a lot of anger and frustration. I didn't know how I was going to keep on going for the next year."


• "But I probably would never have forgiven myself if I had not seen the whole thing through. I couldn't see myself walking away from it."

Ohuruogu was determined to pick up the threads of her career, she lodged an appeal against the lifetime ban imposed by the British Olympic Association, and was successful. This now enabled her to be eligable to compete in the Beijing Games of 2008.

Athens Olympic Games 2004
Christine was selected to compete for the GB team at the games, achieving a new personal best of 50.50s in the heats and narrowly missing out on a place in the final, finishing 4th in her semi final.

Commonwealth Games 2006
In Melbourne she convincingly beat the then reigning World 400m champion, Tonique Williams, to win gold in another personal best of 50.28s before adding a gold in the 4x400m to her impressive medal haul.

Osaka World Championships 2007
Having stormed through her heat and semi-final in the 400m at the Championships, both in personal best times, Christine entered the final with much pressure on her shoulders and very much in the media spotlight. With her challenging year away from athletics behind her, Christine ran yet another personal best, claiming the Gold Medal in the last few metres of the race in a time of 49.61 seconds, ranking her as the third fastest British woman in history over the distance.

Ohuruogu won her heat and semi-final, before taking the gold with a brilliant finish down the home-straight, beating pre-race favourite Sanya Richards of the USA into bronze and Shericka Williams of Jamaica into silver, with a time of 49.62 seconds.

Richards, who had said that she thought the Briton was fortunate to be competing in Beijing, looked at that point set fair for the gold she believed was her due, after a miserable year suffering from a rare illness in 2007 as she had a clear lead.

However, down the straight the Jamaican-born naturalised American started to tie up and Ohuruogu's more measured and controlled race paid off as she passed two Russians and then the final prize of 23-year-old Richards.

Ohuruogu crossed the line just ahead of the fast finishing Williams of Jamaica who finished strongly to take the silver in 49.69s, and the American Richards faded badly after leading into the straight, and had to settle for bronze in 49.93s.

Ohuruogu could scarcely believe what she had achieved, sinking to her knees and then lying on her back.

"Everyone always dreams about winning but you never think there's a reality to something you dream about," Ohuruogu sain in an interview with the BBC.

"I crossed the line and was thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I've won...I'm just so proud of myself'."

BBC video coverage of the 400m final - 19 August 2008
Interview: Stunned with victory