Ohuruogu not given a sniff as Richards scents $1m

Sanya Richards, the American missing from the event when Ohuruogu won in Osaka, not only beat the Briton by almost two seconds, but ran faster than Ohuruogu's time when she took the world title. Ohuruogu was fourth in her first Golden League appearance in 51.32sec.

Richards did not race in Japan because she did not achieve selection for the U.S. team in the event. Recovering from Behcet's disease — a debilitating condition caused by an overactive immune system — she failed to finish in the first three at the U.S. trials, her first defeat in 22 races stretching back to 2005.

Ohuruogu took advantage of her absence 10 days ago, but the pair's first meeting in 13 months, since before the Londoner's one-year ban for missing three drugs tests, was over effectively within 10sec of the gun firing.

Richards had watched the 400m final from the stands in Osaka.

Ohuruogu's finishing speed impressed her and she made plans to counter it.

"If you don't pull away from her and she can still smell you, she's going to run you down. I want to make sure I am way ahead of her so she can't even see me," the Texan had said.

She was as good as her word. Ohuruogu was in the lane outside Richards, but before they had completed the first bend, the American had made up the stagger and fled down the back straight.

Richards won in 49.36sec, a quarter of a second quicker than Ohuruogu's time when she won her gold medal and the fastest by any woman over one lap this year.

"It was my world championships out there today," said Richards, the 2006 world athlete of the year after her unbeaten season.

Her share of the $1million bonus for any athlete going unbeaten through the six Golden League meetings rose to a potential $500,000 soon after her race when fellow American Michelle Perry lost in the 100m hurdles to Sweden's European champion Susanna Kallur. Only pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva also remains unbeaten.

Ohuruogu, who had never before run a Grand Prix race outside Britain, said: "My legs gave up at 200m and that's never happened before. I'm exhausted. When I crossed the line I thought: 'Oh no, I hope I'm not last'."

After helping Britain's women to a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay last Sunday, she confessed to mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. Fifteen hours of flying through eight time zones had wearied her further.

While Richards flew directly to Zurich and had been resting here since Monday evening, Ohuruogu had to return via Hong Kong with the British team, arrived home in east London on Tuesday and flew to the Swiss city on Thursday morning.

"I'm glad I came, but I've had a long week of flying," she said. "There's a lot of learning for me to do and this is part of it. It's all good experience to put in the bank. I'm disappointed, but I tried.

"I'll go home, have a rest, do some more training and I hope I run better next Friday in Berlin. I'm not too fussed about tonight. It matters, but it doesn't."

Ohuruogu was not alone in her suffering. World 100m champion Tyson Gay and runner-up Derrick Atkins both withdrew on the day citing tiredness, and hurdler Perry blamed travel fatigue for her third place.

Gay did, however, run the third leg of the relay for the U.S. as he had in their victory in Osaka.

Again they won, Jamaica were second even without world record holder Asafa Powell and Britain's bronze medal quartet came home fifth.