Ohuruogu sets British record to win world title
BRITISH captain Christine Ohuruogu confessed she was overwhelmed after sensationally setting a new British record to regain the 400m world title in Moscow yesterday.
The 29-year-old, who won the same event in Osaka six years ago, beat defending champion Amantle Montsho by just four thousandths of a second, clocking 49.41 seconds to eclipse Kathy Cook’s record set at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when Ohuruogu was less than three months old.
The Newham & Essex Beagles runner’s victory is Britain’s second gold, after Mo Farah won the 10,000m on Saturday.
And a tearful Ohuruogu was astounded by her performance.
“I think I’m going to pass out,” said the 2008 Olympic champion.
“When I think this is a national record it’s great. A national record has cemented my 400m reign and that personal best was long overdue.
“It’s been a passion of mine and my coach [Lloyd Cowan] to strive for the national record, because I have everything else.
“It feels like a dream. It is what I have been working towards all season, it was so tight on the line and I was so desperate to win it.
“I was thinking ‘do what you can, just get over the line’. The icing on the cake is the national record, that’s all I wanted. Whatever you want just go for it, I am really happy I kept believing and trusting in what I could do.”
The day had been disappointing for British athletes up until Ohuruogu’s stunning victory, as Asha Philip and Nigel Levine failed to qualify for their 100m and 400m finals respectively.
Sprint hurdler Will Sharman was unable to recover from a mistake on landing after clearing the first hurdle and had to make do with fifth place.
However, Katarina Johnson-Thompson ended day one of the heptathlon competition with a personal best in the 200m and climbed to sixth in the overall standings.