Ohuruogu’s goal for peak fitness ahead of the World Championships
Jul 7 2009 by Ken Montgomery, Birmingham Mail
OLYMPIC and World champion Christine Ohuruogu will race over 400m at the Aviva World Trials and UK Championships in Birmingham this weekend in a bid to reach peak performance over one lap ahead of the IAAF World Championships next month.
Ohuruogu had initially planned to race over 200m at the UKA event. Last year the 25-year-old contested the 200m at the Aviva trials finishing second behind Emily Freeman.
But with only two 400m races under her belt so far this summer, including a sixth-place finish behind America’s Sanya Richards in Oslo last week, Ohuruogu decided to add another 400m race to her schedule ahead of the World Championships.
She said: “The Aviva World Trials & UK Championships are important for me to take part in another competitive race this season.
‘‘It’s a big summer for athletics again and I want to be at my best for the World Championships.”
Ohuruogu will line up against Glasgow’s Lee McConnell, winner here last year, and in-form Vicky Barr, part of the silver medal-winning 4x400m quartet at the European Indoor Championships earlier this year.
She said: “Running over 400m in Birmingham will be really useful to me and will undoubtedly help me keep on track with my plans in the run-up to Berlin.’’
Meanwhile, the men’s 400m will be one of the most hotly-contested events this weekend.
The one-lap race has not enjoyed such strength in depth since the days of Roger Black, Mark Richardson and Iwan Thomas.
Now there is a pack of talented young athletes including Michael Bingham, Tim Benjamin, Rob Tobin, Richard Strachan and Martyn Rooney all capable of securing a place in the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team bound for the World Championships.
■ The Aviva World Trials & UK Championships is part organised by Birmingham City Council and supported by Marketing Birmingham.
The Championships is at the Birmingham Alexander Stadium on 10, 11 and 12 July. Tickets can be purchased online at www.uka.org.uk and by phone on 0800 055 60 56.
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