Christine Ohuruogu thinks rugby player Maggie Alphonsi will succeed in athletics
By Dev Trehan
Last Updated: 02/12/14 9:24am
World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu believes Maggie Alphonsi possesses the qualities needed to make the transition from elite rugby player to discus thrower.
Alphonsi, who was part of the England team that won the Women’s Rugby World Cup over the summer, has retired from international rugby and will pursue a career as a field athlete.
In September, Alphonsi told Sky Sports News HQ training alongside the former Olympic champion at Lea Valley Athletics Centre was a telling factor in that decision and Ohuruogo is confident the flanker will succeed.
“I think she’ll pull it off. I think she’ll surprise a few people and surprise herself,” Ohuruogu told Sky Sports News HQ.
The difficulty she may find with a field event is that it is very technical. But knowing the kind of person she is I know she will leave no stone unturned.
Christine Ohuruogo
“I think she’s doing alright and might try out a few things during the indoor season next year. The difficulty she may find with a field event is that it is very technical. But knowing the kind of person she is I know she will leave no stone unturned and will work really hard to get her technical elements right.
“I know she always smiles and is really friendly but deep inside there is a warrior who won’t stop until she succeeds. You can’t do what she does without having that innate sense of determination and steely desire - that kind of win-or-die mentality.
“From the little snapshots I have seen of her I think she’ll be fine. She’s not playing sport just to make up numbers and is not just there to be part of a team.”
Well equipped
Ohuruogu believes Alphonsi, who still plays club rugby for Saracens Women, is well equipped to deal with the mental challenge posed by being a field athlete.
“When I saw her the other day she told me she still plays rugby so to do that and train for a sport that is completely new to you is pretty difficult,” she said.
“But coming from playing top-class rugby I think her mental framework is already set and I think that’s like coming half of the way, being able to mentally do what you have been challenged to do.
She’s not playing sport just to make up numbers and is not just there to be part of a team.
Christine Ohuruogo
“Your mental state is very important as an elite athlete regardless of the sport. But because she’s also been very successful in rugby I don’t think she has to work too hard at that.
“She already has that mental drive and toughness, that desire to work towards getting a result and not stopping until that result comes to fruition.”
