OLYMPIC 400metres gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu will top the bill at the Aviva British Grand Prix on Sunday.
Britain's only track and field champion in Beijing has decided to miss the IAAF Golden League meeting in Zurich on Friday night to concentrate on her clash with compatriot Nicola Sanders at Gateshead.
While Ohuruogu added the Olympic title to the
world crown she won in Osaka last summer, Sanders – runner-up at the World Championships – could only progress to the semi-finals in China. A men's high jump has been added to the programme, allowing Britain's Olympic silver medallist Germaine Mason to compete.
Mason will be joined in the north east by the other two British track and field medallists from Beijing, triple-jumper Phillips Idowu and 400m hurdler Natasha Danvers, who claimed silver and bronze in their events.
Danvers will race against the winner of her event at the Bird's Nest stadium, Melaine Walker of Jamaica.
A further three Jamaicans champions will go in the men's 100m – Nesta Carter, Asafa Powell and Michael Frater, who claimed gold alongside Usain Bolt in the men's 4x100m relay.
Another Jamaican, Veronica Campbell-Brown, who retained her 200m gold medal, will compete over 100m and face the surprise Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser.
Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, who scored an unprecedented 5,000m and 10,000m double will race over 3,000m.
Meanwhile, British Olympic medallist 400m hurdles Danvers is backing UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins to keep his job.
British athletes fell short of their medal target in Beijing, and a decision about Collins' position is expected in the next few days.
"Dave is very good at what he does. I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about," said Danvers. "Just as athletes try their best, he's trying to do the best he can."
The full article contains 311 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
