Britain's Ohuruogu ready to ditch 400m trails for Beijing Olympics

UK Athletics' selection policy demands that athletes wishing to go to Beijing must run at the Aviva National Championships at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium but it does not dictate that it has to be in the event for which they want selection..

Ohuruogu: focusing on 100m and 200m in Birmingham

Since Ohuruogu is certain to be given one of the three Olympic places at 400m, her coach Lloyd Cowan has decided to give her a stiffer test during the three-day championships - winning the 100m and 200m.

That will involve her taking part in seven races and while she has every chance of winning at 200m, in which she currently leads the British rankings, the shortest Olympic distance will probably be beyond her.

Her best is 11.35sec, probably enough to qualify her for the final but not to win the title.

Ohuruogu won her first 400m of the year in Ostrava on Thursday, obeying Cowan's instruction to run the first half fast, and she reached the 200m-mark more quickly than when winning in Osaka last year.

But she wobbled in the final 150m, winning easily but in a modest time for her of 51.06sec.

'She's never great at these one-off races. She's much better when there are rounds at championships,' said Cowan.

Ohuruogu will prove her fitness for the 400m a week before the trials in a race in Milan but her pre-Beijing preparations are aimed at the 400m race at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace, her last competition before the Olympics.

American Sanya Richards, who is favourite for Olympic gold with a personal best of 48.70 - almost a second faster than Ohuruogu - is also contracted to run at the meeting but may lean towards running the 200m.

Heptathlete Kelly Sotherton, another of Britain's Olympic medal hopes, runs 400m today in Leiden in Holland in preparation for her appearance in Britain's 4 x 400m relay alongside Ohuruogu at next week's European Cup in France.

Also running today is Dwain Chambers, entered for the 100m at the Southern Championships at Crystal Palace in an effort to achieve the Olympic selection standard of 10.21sec which has defeated him in his two previous races.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Edwards has sent out an upbeat message about British medal hopes at the Beijing Olympics.

He said: 'Despite some injury problems with Paula Radcliffe and Jessica Ennis, I still think it will be a positive Games for us.'