With Oslo over, Berlin beckons
Bislett Games, Oslo
leaned on the railing in front of me close to exhaustion and said nothing. It seemed like the silence would go on forever. She knew .
This was supposed to be the big rematch between and to the 400m title in Beijing, Sanya Richards. But in truth it was no contest at all. The American was a clear winner stamping her authority on the event in the fastest time in the world this year. Ohuruogu, by contrast, trailed home in a sluggish sixth and said afterwards she was "mortified." Some athletes refuse to talk after a bad race, but she certainly wasn't ducking the difficult questions. The only problem was she didn't really have any answers. Quite simply, she was at a loss to explain what went wrong, but was adamant from a recent virus.
As gold medallist two years ago, Ohuruogu qualifies automatically for , so will use to sharpen her sprinting, running over 100m and 200m instead. That's the plan anyway, although I left her heading off for a post-mortem with coach so that might yet change. One thing to remember though; Ohuruogu is the past master at getting it right when it counts. She may have only beaten Richards once in her career, but crucially it was in the Olympic final and you can bet that's the plan again this year. "I don't train to chase times," she said, "."
Someone who believes , who confessed he's virtually . He still managed to win the 100m, but was being caught with every stride by . Powell's recovering from an ankle injury which he admits was preying on his mind at the start. He was virtually left behind when the gun went off and won't scare with a time of 10.07.
The confidence is still there, but you can't help thinking the gentle Jamaican may have missed his chance to claim a major title. He told me he wants , but on current form surely it's a resurgent Tyson Gay who's the main challenger to ? All should become clear with Powell and Gay due to go head-to-head in Rome next Friday.
Watch out for a face in the crowd in Rome. The man they call is based just north of the capital in Grosseto, and is hoping to go and watch the third leg of . The South African would love to run there again, but is struggling to regain his fitness after suffering multiple injuries when . He was a frustrated athlete in Oslo after for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. There's still time, but he accepts he faces a losing battle.
"Something's going to have to flip 360 degrees for me to qualify," he said, sitting in the warm-down area with his head in his hands, and looking like he could do with a hug.
Oscar wore and he wasn't alone. All the athletes sponsored by Nike did the same, which lead to the rather ridiculous situation of five athletes in the men's 100m all lining up next to each other in the same colour. It didn't help that those with Adidas were all in one colour too.
How are fans in the stadium and those watching at home meant to tell who is who? It's just confusing at a time when the sport is trying to become more accessible. Do I not like Orange!
I'm 5 Live's athletics reporter and will be trackside with all the stories behind the scenes, the injuries and intrigue, the gossip and glory.
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