Christine Ohuruogu didn’t believe in fairytales until yesterday. The Briton added the Olympic 400 metres title to her world championship crown with a victory every bit as improbable as her triumph in Osaka a year ago.
Few gave her a chance on arrival in Beijing. American Sanya Richards, absent last year, was back and in ominous form, while Ohuruogu’s season’s ranked her only eighth in the world.
But she is made of strong stuff.
The one-time poster girl for London’s 2012 bid – she grew up just a javelin throw from the new Olympic stadium – had delivered and done it four years early.
Ohuruogu becomes only the fourth British woman to win an Olympic track gold, following Anne Packer, Sally Gunnell and Kelly Holmes.
“I don’t know where I am right now,” said Ohuruogu. “I simply cannot believe what has just happened, there’s no way this is going to sink in for a long time.
“Of course, this is a dream come true, but when you dream it’s hard to imagine it as a reality. But that is what has happened and I’m in complete shock.
“I’m completely lost for words. I just saw my brothers in the crowd and I’m so pleased they were here to see me.
“I’m just so proud of myself. I always knew this competition was going to be hard and I knew I wasn’t the favourite, but I always thought I had a good chance of winning.”
Just over two years ago Ohuruogu was considering quitting athletics after being suspended for 12 months for missing three out-of-competition drugs tests.
But she continued to train during her ban and returned to competition to win the world championships in Japan last year ahead of team-mate Nicola Sanders, less than a month after the suspension expired.
Her place on the British team was only secured after she successfully appealed against a BOA ban from competing at the Olympics.
Britain’s Germaine Mason won a surprise silver medal in the men’s high jump behind Russian Andrey Silnov. The 25-year-old, who switched allegiance from Jamaica in 2006, cleared 2.34m at the first attempt to win a medal on his Olympic debut.
Favourite Silnov secured gold as he was the only athlete to clear 2.36m, with Russian Yaroslav Rybakov taking bronze.
For the first time since 1952, Britain had three representatives in an Olympic high jump final.
Tom Parsons and Martyn Bernard both comfortably cleared 2.25m but failed to go any further.
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