Ohuruogu victorious in her first race after ban

By Simon Turnbull

Christine Ohuruogu was back in competitive action and back in the winning groove yesterday. After 12 months of competitive inactivity, under suspension after missing three drug tests, the Commonwealth champion eased to a comfortable win in the 400m heats in the Scottish National Championships at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.

Ohuruogu finished five seconds clear of the field in 53.09sec, easing down in the home straight. "I hoped to be a bit faster," she confessed, "but it's good to be back."

The Londoner's time was a good way behind the 50.28 she clocked in winning her Commonwealth crown in Melbourne in March last year. Still, it was not too far away from her last competitive performance. That was at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on 28 July last year, when a strangely off-form Ohuruogu - lacking in form and fitness - trailed in seventh and lastin 52.43.

She never did make it to the European Championships in Gothenburg two weeks later. News of her failed tests broke the day before the competition got underway in Sweden. Twelve months on, though, Ohuruogu has the World Championships in Osaka in two weeks' time for which to prepare.

Named in the British team for both the 400m and the 4 x 400m relay, she has little time left to run herself into some racing form, and intends to contest the 200m in Glasgow today, possibly skipping the 400m final, before heading out to the British team's holding camp in Macau.

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