Moscow 2013, Day three: Christine Ohuruogu wins in last meter of the 400 meters, video by the Shoe Addicts, note by Larry Eder

As long as coaches have been around, they would tell young sprinters to run through the finish.
The thing about Christine Ohuruogu is that, well, Christine starts her race just before the finish, or, that, at least, is how it looks.

Christine Ohuruogu, photo by PhotoRun.net

Christine Ohuruogu is one of the deadliest finishers in the athletic battle that is the 400 meters.

You see, any physiologist will tell you that the human body can sprint all out for about 30 second, and then, complete collapse.

The 400 meters is a sadist race. One leaves the blocks with so much promise, then, and still, at halfway, one feels fast, and there is a feeling of hope as one enters the final turn. As one comes off the final turn, and as the body overcomes whatever training one has had, the final 100 meters can be pure agony.

Somehow, Christine Ohuruogu embraces that pain, and holds most of her energy, and form for that last hundred meters.

Coming off the final turn in Moscow, Amantle Montsho looked to most observers to be the sure winner.

But, some of us watched Christine, as she seemed to awake from a deep sleep, and with fifty meters to go, came alive.
Christine Ohuruogu sensed that Amantle Montsho was slowing down, and slowing down quickly. Ohuruogu pushed, and pushed, and the crowd noticed too as 45,000 Russians gasped.

Could the British runner catch Montsho?

And here is where training comes in.

Christine Ohuruogu has won numerous races in the last steps of a 400 meter race.
Not only did Christine leaned at the finish, she leaped. Amantle Montsho stayed straight up, and only seemed to look, with some consternation at Ohuruogu, as if to say, how dare she!

Well, dare she did, and with that dare, Christine Ohuruogu won the gold medal in the 400 meters!
And for that, the Shoe Addicts salute Christine Ohurougu for the Best Race of Day Three!

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

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