OLYMPICS Christine dreams of a return to a normal life
CHRISTINE OHURUOGU has promised herself she will “get a life” after Rio.
The problem is, she admits that she doesn’t quite know how she’ll manage it.
The 32-year-old Londoner is heading for her fourth and final Olympics, hoping to cement her reputation as Britain’s greatest female track and field athlete.
She won 400m gold in Beijing and silver in London and has medalled a total of 19 times at senior championships since her Olympic debut as a 20-year-old in Athens.
“It will definitely be my last,” she confirms. “I think it’s enough now.
“My coach, Lloyd Cowan, tells me just to enjoy it. I want to have fun but that probably won’t be the case.
“I don’t think my body knows how to enjoy anything!
“Lloyd keeps telling me to get a life but I’ve tried and I can’t do it. This is my life.
“That’s why I’m happy to say it’s my last Olympics because I will have to go out and start living.”
Ohuruogu just scraped into the team for Rio as a selectors’ pick after she was forced to miss the trials because of a virus.
“It never seems to be straightforward with me,” she smiles. “But I take the setbacks in my stride now.
“I used to get depressed but now I get told to shut up and stop whining!
“I’ve worked extremely hard this year but my body kind of shut down on me. It was like I was spinning my wheels in mud and we had to rein things back in.
“I missed the trials because I was on bed rest and I was thinking: ‘This is not good’.
“I probably pushed too hard. Once I allowed the body to recover and get rid of the fatigue I felt lot better.
“Running well at the European Championships last month was the only way I could show fitness and I gave selectors what they needed to make the decision.”
Christine insists she still has the warrior mentality that has made her such a formidable force in major championships.
“That never leaves you,” she says. “It’s instinct. Money can’t buy that.
“In Athens I wanted to make an impact because I’d just made the team. In Beijing I knew I was going to war. I was going to destroy someone.
“I didn’t enjoy the fanfare around London. I cut myself off emotionally from everything because the stadium was literally down the road from my home.
“I didn’t want any familiarity because it was strictly business and it would have been a distraction.
“If you become relaxed you let your guard down. I couldn’t afford to be comfortable. That’s how I work better and I want the same in Rio.
“Twelve years is a long time to be battering yourself over 400m. It’s stupid!
“It’s a merciless chase that never ends. Every session means something. You never switch off. You think about it 24/7. There’s no off button.
“You’re always calculating. You’re always governed by the clock. Everything is about numbers.
“But I’m happy I put myself through the wringer. My body is in good nick and when I finish I don’t want it to be because of injury.
“I haven’t thought past Rio because I don’t want to be distracted. But I’m a smart girl and I’ll figure it out.”