Sanya may have the speed, but I'll show my will to win, says Ohuruogu

For the past 12 months there has been a question mark over Christine Ohuruogu's world 400 metres title. Would she have won had Sanya Richards been in the field?

On Tuesday, we shall be closer to knowing the answer. The two meet for the first time when it matters, in the Olympic final, and, for a whole variety of reasons, the American who missed selection for the individual 400m at the World Championships because of a debilitating illness starts favourite.

She has run faster in her career. She has run faster this year. She ran faster to reach the final. She has run the 200m faster. She will reach the halfway faster than Ohuruogu because she always does. So the gold is hers?

Maybe not. Ohuruogu comes home faster than anybody in the event. If Richards does not have a lengthy lead on her coming into the straight, she may not hold Ohuruogu to the line, as Jamaican Novlene Williams found in that world final.

No Briton has won this event but no one has studied it like Ohuruogu. She has studied everyone who ever ran it and those running it on Tuesday.

'I look at what Cathy Freeman did, at the fast 400m runners, people who have medalled, made finals and people who maybe should have done better, how they progressed through rounds. Lessons can be learned,' she said.

'I always check up, the different splits, for the 400m, the 300m, what their 200m times are, if they have run 800m. You want to know exactly where they are and what they have run. It gives you confidence, knowing of people who don't go fast over the first 300m and are still in contention of medalling.'

What time does she think it will need to win? 'Whatever time it takes to win the gold I will try to run it. I never thought I was going to run 49.61 last year, so whatever it takes to get there, whatever it needs down the home straight, then I'll do it,' she said.

'Of course, I'll be nervous. Nerves show you care about what you do. There's nothing wrong with that. My coach says when you run a 400 it's not about who's the fastest, who's the strongest, it's about who has the most will to get to the line first.'

Richards said Ohuruogu was fortunate to be in Beijing because she avoided the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban on those who have served suspensions. That barb might just give the Briton the will to show just how unfortunate that was for Richards.