But Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, who beat the American to claim the Olympic title in Beijing three years ago, faces a race against time if she is to be seriously competitive at the IAAF World Championships which get underway on August 27.

Ohuruogu, who could only manage third place at last weekend's Aviva Trials and Championships in Birmingham, struggled home last in 51.87sec.

"I'm not going to lie," she said.

"I am really disappointed with that. It was very tough and not what I expected at all.

"I felt a lot better than I had done but these type of races expose your weaknesses and I just haven't got enough in my legs.

"These girls are coming to their peak and I'm a bit behind.

"It's not ideal, but we'll keep pushing on.

"Three weeks isn't a long time but it's enough for me to do what I need to get done."

At least Ohuruogu was not under pressure to secure a place in the team, given that the Trials winner, Perri Shakes-Drayton, will be concentrating on the 400m hurdles, and second-placed Shana Cox - who finished a place ahead of her here in 51.63 – will not be eligible to compete for Britain until November due to delays in processing her application for a British passport.

Richards-Ross refuses to write off the chances of the Briton who defeated her in the Olympic final.

"Christine has shown that she is excellent at championship meets and like me she has great experience, so I think she'll definitely be one of my top competitors," she said.

The 26-year-old American missed all of last season with injury and, by her own admission, has found it hard to return to her previous form.

But her victory at the Aviva Grand Prix in 49.66 - almost a second faster than her previous season's best of 50.61 - has put her right into the medal reckoning for Daegu.

"It's taken longer than I thought to put things together, but now I feel ready to defend my title in Daegu," she said.

Carmelita Jeter and Sally Pearson are also looking good bets in Daegu after emphatic wins in the 100 metres and 100m hurdles respectively.


Jeter will be seeking her first global title after collecting 100m bronze medals at the World Championships of 2007 and 2009.

The American won here in 10.93 against a field which included Jamaica's world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who faded slightly over the final 20 metres after matching the US athlete's start, allowing Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad to take second place in 10.97.

Fraser-Pryce finished third in 11.10.

Australian Pearson finished a stride clear of her opposition in 12.58 after another beautifully composed performance over the hurdles, with Danielle Carruthers of the United States finishing second in 12.67 and Britain's naturalised American, Tiffany Ofili-Porter, third in 12.78.

Britain's world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu – set on defending his title in Daegu in a competition that will be without the Frenchman who heads this year's world lists with 17.91 metres, Teddy Tamgho – produced a slightly underwhelming performance.

Despite taking an early lead with a first round effort of 17.07m, the Briton was overtaken by the exuberant 21-year-old American Christian Taylor, whose victory in a personal best of 17.68m has put him right into the picture for Korea.

Idowu, with hair dyed white and a blue, Mohican-type stripe down the centre, looked buoyant after his opening flourish, but was unable to improve upon that level as former Briton Tosin Oke, now competing for Nigeria, took second place with a season's best of 17.21m

But it was Taylor who made the big impact, taking the lead with 17.21m in the second round before leaping and bounding out of the pit after the third round jump which produced his top mark.

The sight of three athletes in a line coming down the final straight is a sight as traditionally stirring as the event in which it occurred here, the Emsley Carr Mile, established in 1953 to honour a former chairman of the News of the World during happier times for that newspaper.

Kenya's defending champion Augustine Choge, who had taken up the lead at the bell, was one of that trio, with former world champion Bernard Lagat and his US team mate Leonel Manzano alongside him.


And it was the latter, an Olympic semi-finalist in 2008, who took the victory in a race which counted for Diamond League points, edging clear to cross the line in 3min 51.24sec, with Lagat finishing second in 3.51.38 and Choge having to settle for third place in a season's best of 3:51.50.

"That was a very intense race," said Manzano.

"I didn't really know how it was going to pan out...I'm really excited for the World Championships and hoping to go there and win."

The women's 5,000m saw Lauren Fleshman of the United States earn a commanding victory in a season's best of 15:00.57 after making a break with 600 metres remaining.

But the home cheers sounded out for the woman charging down the straight in pursuit, Britain's 37-year-old European Indoor 3000m champion Helen Clitheroe, who secured the A standard qualification mark she required to make the British team with a personal best of 15:06.75.

No wonder she was grinning broadly through the pain at the finish.

Virgilijus Alekna, twice and Olympic and twice a world champion, demonstrated that the competitive urge remains strong within him at the age of 39 as he dominated the discus event with a winning effort of 66.71m.

For two young throwers who finished outside the two automatic qualifying places for the World Championship at last weekend's British trials - 22-year-old Brett Morse and 19-year-old European under 23 champion Lawrence Okoye – this competition represented the last chance to make a good impression upon the UK Athletics chief coach Charles Van Commenee and earn the last available place before the team is announced on Tuesday (August 9).

Morse will have left feeling happier, having finished eighth with 61.96m.

Okoye, whose best this year of 67.63m puts him fifth in the 2011 world lists, could only manage 58.61 after three attempts, failing to make the top eight who went on to have three more throws each.

"We'll see when the team is out, but I am hopeful of going to the World Championships now," said Morse.

So too will be Eilish McColgan, who has had a difficult week given the court appearance on Thursday (August 4) of her mother, former 10,000m world champion Liz, who pleaded not guilty to charges of battering her estranged husband, Peter McColgan.

A personal best of 9:44.80 in the 3,000m steeplechase may not have made much impact upon the leaders – Kenya's world bronze medallist Milcah Chemos won in 9:22.80 – but it was inside the B qualifying standard and may thus have booked McColgan a place on the plane for Daegu.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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