Christine Ohuruogu proved she is in good form on the eve of the IAAF World Championships today by winning a warm-up 400m event in Osaka.

Ohuruogu won a competitive race in the Nagai Stadium in 50.56 secs.

Showing great strength over the last hundred metres, the Newham & Essex athlete beat Monique Hennagan from the USA by more than three quarters of a second.

GB&NI’s Donna Fraser (Croydon Harriers) also showed good form coming third in a season’s best 52.20 secs while fellow Brit Vicky Barr (Rugby & Northampton AC) was fifth in 53.26 secs.

After the race Ohuruogu’s coach Lloyd Cowan said he was pleased with the 23-year-old’s run.

“It was a good warm-up and she was nervous before the event,” he said. “We have a job to do and we are looking forward to next week. We know what we have to do and now is the time to do it.”

Several other athletes from the GB team were also in action at the warm-up event in the stadium where the 11th IAAF World Championships will begin on Saturday.

In temperatures of 27oC and with humidity reaching 68 per cent, Rob Tobin (Basingstoke & Mid Hants) ran a season’s best 45.90 secs to win the 400m from Poland’s Witold Banka in 46.11 secs.

Joice Maduaka (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) also ran a season’s best to win the 100m in 11.32 secs, beating Olivia Borlee of Belgium who ran 11.56 secs.

In the men’s 100m, Christian Malcolm (Cardiff AAC) completed GB’s fifth season’s best of the afternoon, clocking 10.32 secs to come second to Darvis Patton of the USA, who won in 10.19 secs. Malcolm edged Alex Nelson into third, with the Sale Harriers Manchester sprinter running 10.47 secs.

In the second men’s 100m race, Tyrone Edgar (Woodford Green) came third in 10.36 secs. The race was won by America’s Leroy Dixon in 10.13 secs, with Obinna Metu of Nigeria making second in 10.33 secs.

More News articles and photos from the IAAF World Championships….