Ohuruogu eases GB into relay final

Posted: Tuesday 16th September 2008 | 17:13

CHRISTINE OHURUOGU nearly took it too easy as Britain's women's 4x400m quartet narrowly advanced to tonight's final.

New Olympic 400m champion Ohuruogu looked clean and clear for automatic qualification but eased up on the line and was nearly pipped for a final place by Germany's fast-finishing Claudia Hoffman.

RELATED: Ohuruogu powers to Olympic gold

British officials were forced to shuffle their pack after Lee McConnell, a veteran of the quartets' bronzes at the last two World Championships, withdrew after suffering a quad muscle tear.

Despite Vicky Barr's UK number four ranking, they drafted in heptathlete Kelly Sotherton in to run alongside Ohuruogu, Nicola Sanders and 800m specialist Marilyn Okoro, the latter being ranked just ninth in the UK with a season's best outside UK Athletics' top-ten target.

And their season's best time of 3:25.48 seemed to justify the selection choice.

"It's always tough on the girls that are left out because they've contributed so much and we've got a really good shout of an Olympic medal now," said Sanders.

"All the team was together on the warm-up track and we're out there doing it for the girls."

Sanders ran the lead-off leg for the first time in her senior career before handing on to Sotherton.

"I'm only here because Lee got injured and I was so scared of messing it up for the girls," said Sotherton.

"I'm really feeling it now but we've got a great medal chance."

After the failure of Britain's sprint relay men to make last night's final, Ohuruogu admitted she was relieved she didn't cost her team a chance.

"I was just thinking ‘qualify, qualify' and not use up too much energy, so I tried to take it easy but I didn't see the German coming," she said.

"I feel for the other girls, it's hard to come all this way and sit and watch us.

"Hopefully Lee will come through her injury and be back with us next year."

Meanwhile, Sotherton claimed she was delighted after learning Lyudmila Blonska had been stripped of her Olympic heptathlon silver medal, following a positive test of her B sample.

The ruling, announced by the International Olympic Committee, promotes Sotherton to fourth.
"It's great news for athletics and heptathlon," she said.

"You could view it as a negative story but I prefer to see the positives. Hopefully that's her out of the sport for life now. I won't need to compete against her again or talk about her.

"I knew what she was up to all along and I'm glad that I've been proved right."

JAMES TONEY in Beijing