The World Athletics Championships have kicked off in Osaka. Great Britain, according to its chief athletics coaches, are hoping for three medals - but did anyone suggest Christine Ohuruogu could be one of them? I'm guessing not.

The women's 400m Commonwealth champion in Melbourne last year was only able to return to the track this month, having served a year ban from international athletics due to missing drugs testing on three separate occasions. But in a warm-up event at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Ohuruogu set a time of 50.56 secs for the 400m, the best by a Brit this year and in fact the best British performance since her own medal-winning run in Melbourne last year.  Only 11 other women in the world have run faster this year, showing that only three weeks after her ban finished, Christine is mixing it with the best and at the least should be looking towards a semi-final spot, if not racing into the final.

Nicola Sanders was widely expected to be the best British hope in the women's 400m at the World Championships and has been taking the limelight in Ohuruogu's absence. However, her best time this year of 50.97 seconds shows she will do well to reach the semi-finals, or she maybe spurred on by Christine and pull something remarkable out of the bag during her heats.

'Only 11 other women in the world have run faster this year, showing that only three weeks after her ban finished, Christine is mixing it with the best'


However, both Brits will come up against a very strong USA challenge. Sanya Richards, DeeDee Trotter, Allyson Felix and Natasha Hastings hold the best four times in the world this year and look set to dominate both the heats and finals. Their closest challenge may come from Russians Natalya Antyukh and Tatyana Vesahkurova, while Mexican veteran Ana Guevara has the experience to cause a surprise or two.

There is good news for the British 4 x 400m women's relay squad as Donna Fraser, the former British No.1, is on her comeback trail and posted her best time of the season in the warm-up event in Osaka.  Fraser, teamed with Ohuruogu and Sanders and Lee McConnell, should be a force in the relay and a real medal chance beckons. However, as mentioned earlier, the Americans and Russians will look to dominate.

Some people say Ohuruogu was lucky to escape a longer ban for her missed drugs tests, but the 23-year-old has always displayed her innocence in the whole saga and is still in the process of appealing against a lifetime ban.  One thing is for sure; Ohuruogu is back and stronger than ever, more determined to show the world what they have missed over the last year. Let's hope she can bring home a medal or maybe two.