BEIJING (AFP) — Great Britain's newly-crowned 400 metres Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu's beaming smile lit up the Bird's Nest Stadium on Tuesday and now she plans a repeat triumph on homeground in London in 2012.
The 24-year-old was brought up in Stratford in east of London, where the main stadium is being built for the next Games, and is determined to be there defending her title in front of her 'home crowd'.
"It (Stratford) is literally on my doorstep and 15 minutes away from where my parents live and where I was brought up and lived all my life," said Ohuruogu.
"That would be quite something to come out on the track and compete in front of my home fans....Cathy Freeman all over again!" added Ohuruogu, referring to the Australian icon who produced one of the great Olympic moments when winning the 400m title in Sydney in 2000.
However, while the champion would appear to be the perfect poster girl for promoting the Olympics, given her local roots, there will be those, not least the British Olympic Association (BOA), who may not be so keen to have her all over the promotional material.
For Ohuruogu and the BOA are not exactly the best of friends.
On Tuesday, she had produced a stunning run to eclipse hot favourite Sanya Richards in a race that she could not have envisaged competing in a year ago.
Then she was awaiting the result of her appeal against the BOA's by-law forbidding any athlete who has served a ban for infringing doping regulations to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.
Ohuruogu, one of 10 children of Nigerian descent, won her her appeal against the year-long suspension imposed for having missed three drugs tests.
"I am a fighter and will always fight to the end. This is something I have learnt from my childhood and it has only got stronger as I have grown older," said Ohuruogu.
"My parents instilled pretty strong values in all of us and I have retained them."
However, even in her moment of glory, when she added the Olympic title to her world and Commonwealth crowns, Ohuruogu had to play a straight bat to loaded questions about whether she deserved to be sitting where she was as Olympic champion.
"I don't really care what people think or say. They can say what they like. I came her for a particular thing, I have got it and I am delighted with myself," said Ohuruogu.
"I have served my time and while I was stupid, it was not done out of a desire to cheat the system, it was sheer vagueness and for that I could kick myself."
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