Ohuruogu ‘forging own path’ after comparisons to sister
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“It was just completely hectic. Everyone was screaming. I think we had knocks on our door straight away.”
That was the scene in Victoria Ohuruogu’s living room as her sister Christine triumphed to win 400m gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
“It still gives me goosebumps watching,” Victoria, 31, told BBC Radio London.
“My parents were so nervous they couldn’t stand in the room, I think my mum was peeking through the door, she was so scared.”
In preparing to make her own Olympic debut at Paris 2024, Victoria reflects on a unique journey in athletics that has required years of perseverance to step out of her sister’s shadow.
“To be completely honest, I really did struggle,” admitted the Commonwealth 400m silver medallist.
“Everyone, as much as they could, did try to separate us, but it was just inevitable that I was always kind of clubbed in with my sister and everyone would compare us a lot.”
This year marks a decade since Victoria won her first international medal.
She ran in the 4x400m relay heats alongside Christine at the 2014 World Indoor Championships, with Great Britain taking bronze in the final.
Getting a chance on that stage required patience after travelling with the relay squad to the World Championships the year before and not getting picked to run.
“I was so young on the team. It really opened my eyes,” said Victoria.
“I just remember being really fresh-faced and kind of not knowing what was going on and being completely enamoured by all of the athletes I was seeing in the canteen.
“Now that I’m a bit older, I’m quite proud of the journey I’ve had. It’s been a bit up and down, but I’ve managed to keep it together.”
Ohuruogu’s 400m personal best from the 2014 season remained in place until 2021.
Having missed out on the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she made a brilliant comeback to the international stage two years ago, winning medals at all three major championships held during the 2022 season.
She also smashed her lifetime best that year, clocking a time of 50.50 seconds to top the UK rankings.
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