Christine Ohuruogu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Christine Ohuruogu
MBE

Ohuruogu at the victory parade in London following the 2008 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1984-05-17) 17 May 1984 (age 41) Newham, England
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Club	Newham and Essex Beagles
Turned pro	2004
Achievements and titles
World finals	2007 – 1st 2013 – 1st
Olympic finals	2008 – 1st, 400 m 2012 – 2nd, 400 m
Highest world ranking	200 m: 11 (2008) 400 m: 2 (2007/2008)
Personal best(s)	100 m 11.35 200 m 22.85 400 m 49.41
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 2 World Championships 2 2 4 World Indoor Championships 1 0 1 European Indoor Championships 1 0 0 Commonwealth Games 1 0 1 World Athletics Final / Diamond League 0 1 2 European Team Ch'ships / Cup 2 1 1 European U23 / Junior Ch'ships 0 2 1 Total 8 7 12 Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 400 m Silver 2012 London 400 m Bronze 2008 Beijing 4 × 400 m Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 × 400 m World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka 400 m Gold 2013 Moscow 400 m Silver 2013 Moscow 4 × 400 m Bronze 2005 Helsinki 4 × 400 m Bronze 2007 Osaka 4 × 400 m Bronze 2009 Berlin 4 × 400 m Bronze 2011 Daegu 4 × 400 m Bronze 2015 Beijing 4 × 400 m World Indoor Championships Gold 2012 Istanbul 4 × 400 m Bronze 2014 Sopot 4 × 400 m World Athletics Final Silver 2008 Stuttgart 400 m Bronze 2007 Stuttgart 400 m Diamond League Bronze 2012 400 m European Indoor Championships Gold 2013 Gothenburg 4 × 400 m European Cup Gold 2005 Florence 4 × 400 m Silver 2008 Annecy 200 m European Team Championships Gold 2013 Gateshead 4 × 400 m Bronze 2009 Leiria 200 m European U23 Championships Silver 2005 Erfurt 400 m Silver 2005 Erfurt 4 × 400 m European Junior Championships Bronze 2003 Tampere 400 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2006 Melbourne 400 m Bronze 2014 Glasgow 4 × 400 m
Updated on 20 August 2016.

Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu is a famous British athlete. She was born on May 17, 1984. Christine was a specialist in the 400 metres race. She became a champion at the Olympics, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games.

Christine won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She is a two-time World Champion in the 400m, winning in 2007 and 2013. She also won many medals in the 4 × 400 m relay race. Christine holds a special record. She won medals in nine global championships in a row. This is a record she shares with other great athletes like Usain Bolt.

In 2013, Christine set a new UK record for the 400m. Her time was 49.41 seconds. This made her the first British woman to win two World Championship titles. She was also the first British woman to win three global titles. After the 2016 Olympics, she became only the second British track and field athlete to win medals at three Olympics in a row. Her coach was Lloyd Cowan.

Christine was known for her strong finishes in races. She could keep her speed when others slowed down. She was also very good at performing her best in big championships. She retired from athletics in 2017. This was a year after she won her last global medal, a bronze in the 4 × 400m relay. After retiring, Christine planned to study law. She wanted to become a lawyer. In 2022, she mentored fellow athlete Matthew Hudson-Smith. This helped him achieve a new British record and a World Championship bronze medal.

About Christine Ohuruogu

Christine was born in Newham, east London. Her parents were from the Igbo community in Nigeria. She grew up in Stratford. As a young person, she competed in both netball and athletics. She was part of the London Youth Games. In 2009, she was added to the London Youth Games Hall of Fame.

Christine studied Linguistics at University College London. She graduated in 2005. She also played netball while at university. She has eight brothers and sisters. One of her sisters, Victoria Ohuruogu, is also a sprints athlete. Christine went to St. Edward's Church of England School and Trinity Catholic High School. In 2017, she started studying law at Queen Mary University of London. She is a member of the Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club.

In 2009, Christine was awarded an MBE. This is a special award from the Queen. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London. Christine has written a series of children's books called "Camp Gold." These books are about a special training school for young athletes.

Christine's Athletics Journey

Christine started her athletics career strong. In 2003, she won a bronze medal in the 400m at the European Junior Championships. In 2004, she became the AAA champion in the 400m. She also competed in the Athens Olympics that year. She reached the semi-finals in the 400m and was part of the 4 × 400m relay team that finished fourth.

In 2005, she won a silver medal at the European Under 23 Championships. She missed the gold by a tiny amount. She also won silver in the 4 × 400m relay. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400m relay at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. Her teammates were Lee McConnell, Donna Fraser, and Nicola Sanders.

Winning Commonwealth Gold

Christine won a gold medal for England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She ran the 400m in her best time of 50.28 seconds. She beat a strong competitor, Tonique Williams-Darling, in both the semi-final and the final.

A Difficult Time: Missing Tests

Christine faced a challenge in her career. She was banned from competing for a year. This happened because she missed three "out-of-competition" drug tests. These tests are part of a system to ensure athletes are clean. She missed one test in October 2005 and two more in June 2006. The rules meant she received a one-year ban. The ban ended on August 5, 2007.

It was noted that there was no suggestion she missed the tests on purpose to avoid being tested. She had passed other tests around that time. The British Olympic Association also tried to ban her from future Olympic Games. However, she appealed this decision, and her Olympic ban was overturned in November 2007.

World Champion in 2007

Just 24 days after her ban ended, Christine was chosen for the British team. She competed at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Even though she had only run five races since her ban, she won the gold medal in the individual 400m. This was the only gold medal for Great Britain at those championships. Nicola Sanders won the silver medal. Christine also helped the 4 × 400m relay team win a bronze medal.

Christine Ohuruogu (in dark blue, centre) winning the 400 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan.

Olympic Gold in 2008

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Christine showed her amazing talent. She won her heat and her semi-final races. In the final, she became the first British female Olympic 400m champion. She beat strong runners like Sanya Richards and Shericka Williams. Her winning time was 49.62 seconds, the fastest time of 2008. This gold medal was the 50th gold medal for Great Britain in athletics at the Summer Olympics. She also won a bronze medal with the 4 × 400m relay team.

Challenges and Comebacks

In 2009, Christine prepared for the European Indoor Championships. She set new personal bests in the 60m and 200m races. She won the 400m national title in the UK. However, she faced a hamstring injury that year. This made it difficult to defend her World title. Despite this, she improved her form for the 2009 World Championships. She finished well, though behind Sanya Richards.

In 2010, injuries kept her out of the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. In 2011, she was disqualified from the individual 400m at the World Championships due to a false start.

More Medals in 2012

Christine continued to achieve great things. In 2012, she won a gold medal in the 4 × 400m relay at the Indoor World Championships in Istanbul. This was Great Britain's first ever medal in this event at the World Indoor Championships.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Christine won a silver medal in the 400m. It was a very close race. Sanya Richards-Ross won the gold. Christine finished very fast to take the silver, just ahead of DeeDee Trotter and Amantle Montsho. Her time was 49.70 seconds. Christine said she was "heartbroken" not to defend her title. Her family home was very close to the Olympic Stadium.

Second World Title in 2013

On August 12, 2013, Christine won her second World Championship title. She won the 400m final in Moscow. She made a late surge to win in a photo finish against Montsho. She also broke Kathy Cook's long-standing British record with a time of 49.41 seconds. She beat Montsho by just 0.004 seconds.

Later Career and Retirement

In 2014, Christine competed in the 4 × 400m relay at the World Indoor Championships. Her sister, Victoria Ohuruogu, was also on the team. They won a bronze medal. In 2015, despite injuries, Christine reached the 400m final at the World Championships in Beijing. She finished eighth. She also helped the British 4 × 400m relay team win a bronze medal.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Christine won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400m relay. She ran the final part of the race. Her teammates were Eilidh Doyle, Anyika Onuora, and Emily Diamond. They finished behind the USA and Jamaica.

In 2017, Christine did not qualify for the individual 400m at the World Championships in London. She announced that 2017 would be her last season. She later confirmed her retirement in June 2018. She explained that injuries and her studies made it hard to continue training.

Christine's Best Times

Here are Christine Ohuruogu's personal best times in different events:

Major Titles Won

Christine Ohuruogu won many important titles during her career:

Preceded by Aliann Pompey	Commonwealth Champion in 400 m 2006	Succeeded by Amantle Montsho
Preceded by Tonique Williams-Darling	World Champion in 400 m 2007	Succeeded by Sanya Richards
Preceded by Tonique Williams-Darling	Olympic Champion in 400 m 2008	Succeeded by Sanya Richards-Ross
Preceded by Amantle Montsho	World Champion in 400 m 2013	Succeeded by Allyson Felix
Preceded by  United States Debbie Dunn DeeDee Trotter Natasha Hastings Allyson Felix	World Indoor Champion in 4 × 400 m relay representing  Great Britain with Shana Cox Nicola Sanders Perri Shakes-Drayton 2012	Succeeded by  United States Natasha Hastings Joanna Atkins Francena McCorory Cassandra Tate Jernail Hayes* Monica Hargrove*
Preceded by  Russia Kseniya Zadorina Kseniya Vdovina Yelena Migunova Olesya Forsheva	European Indoor Champion in 4 × 400 m relay representing  Great Britain with Eilidh Child Shana Cox Perri Shakes-Drayton 2013	Succeeded by  France Floria Gueï Elea-Mariama Diarra Agnès Raharolahy Marie Gayot

National Titles Won

Christine also won national championships in Great Britain:

• AAA Championships
  • 400 metres: 2004
• British Athletics Championships
  • 400 metres: 2009

See also

In Spanish: Christine Ohuruogu para niños