Britain's Christine Ohuruogu displays her gold medal from the World Championships. - AP

LONDON (Reuters):

WORLD 400 METRE champion Christine Ohuruogu should be reprieved from a lifetime Olympic ban, UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said yesterday.

The British athlete returned from a one-year ban for missing three doping tests to claim gold in Osaka last week but under British Olympic Association (BOA) rules she is still unavailable for selection for next year's Beijing Games.

Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, however, Warner said: "I'm very hopeful there are two precedents that stand her in very good stead.

Alibi

"Let's be really clear, this is a young athlete that has never failed a test."

Ohuruogu's appeal against the BOA ban is being supported by her governing body UK Athletics, with Warner saying her one-year ban is sufficient punishment for the offence.

A similar Olympics ban for world triathlon champion Tim Don was overturned on appeal.

"Amongst all the hurly-burly and ill-informed comments in the media this past week, let's not forget she has never ever failed a drugs test," Warner said.

"And she has taken many, many tests in the past year.

"This is an individual case and it needs to be argued on that basis.

"The three-strikes-and-you-miss-a-year rule I agree with entirely. What we need to work on with the testers is making it as easy as possible for honest athletes to be tested - there are a few wrinkles to be ironed out there."

Ohuruogu's appeal will be heard by an independent panel with a decision likely next month.