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Grenot smashes 51 seconds as Ohuruogu homes in on Zurich

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In the space of a few hours on Saturday there were two key developments on the women’s 400m scene.

In Rovereto, Italy’s Libania Grenot confirmed her position at the top of the European Athletics rankings, while in Loughborough, Christine Ohuruogu booked her place in the Great Britain team for the European Athletics Championships.

Grenot began the day as the quickest European this summer with her time of 51.08 from Padova at the start of the month but she has now broken the 51-second barrier after winning in 50.55.

Her performance came on the second day of the Italian Championships, demonstrating the upward curve she is taking towards the European Athletics Championships in Zurich next month.

It is the tenth quickest run in the world this year and Grenot will head to Switzerland poised to make history. No Italian woman has won a medal in the 400m in the history of the European Athletics Championships, a statistic which looks likely to change.

One of her main rivals there will be Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic champion and double world champion.

Even though she was selected for the British team earlier this week, she still had to run their qualifying time in a season where she had competed only once over the distance with her 53.14 from the Diamond League in New York last month.

But at the Loughborough European Athletics Permit Meeting, Ohuruogu was third in 51.66 behind Nigerians Folosade Abugan, who won in 51.21, and Patience George, also in 51.66.

As she has shown so often in the past, Ohuruogu is a brilliant championship runner, particularly in the way she makes her late burst along the home straight.

But it is Grenot who is setting the standard in an event where there will surely be a few more twists and turns before the gold medal is handed out in Zurich.




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