The next stage in the rehabilitation of Christine Ohuruogu will be to turn her into a seasoned athlete. Ohuruogu showed the talent to succeed on the biggest stage by winning the 400 metres at the World Championships, having not raced for a year after three missed drugs tests. But thriving during the endless grind of the season is a different challenge.

At yesterday’s final Golden League meeting at the Olympiastadion here, Ohuruogu finished ahead of Nicola Sanders, her Great Britain teammate and silver medal-winner in Osaka, although she was ten metres adrift of Sanya Richards, whose time of 49.27sec was the fastest in the world this year, 0.02sec ahead of the time she set in Brussels on Friday.

The performance justified Ohuruogu’s decision to bypass Brussels because she felt tired, having finished a disappointing fourth in Zurich the week before on her return from Japan.

“Last week I was just too tired, after the flying, I just didn’t adjust,” Ohuruogu said. “I take inspiration from the other athletes - some of them have been away from home for four months competing. That’s what you have to do.”

Richards had the Britons on either side of her as she chased her share of the $1 million (about £500,000) jackpot for athletes who had won at all six Golden League meetings. Within 20 metres, she was ahead and, entering the home straight, the prize was as good as hers. Ohuruogu was second in 50.40sec, Sanders third in 50.70. Novlene Williams, who won bronze in Osaka, was fifth.

Sanders said she had felt the effects of two races in three days, having finished second in Brussels. “After Osaka, getting over the travelling and the championships, two races in three days is like another mini-champs,” Sanders said. “My legs just weren’t ready for it. I just didn’t feel right.”

All three are likely to race one more time this season, in Stuttgart on Sunday at the World Athletics Finals.

Yelena Isinbayeva duly earned her split of the jackpot by winning the pole vault, although she has not had to jump close to her best. The Russian won yesterday with a clearance of 4.82 metres. Her best this season was 4.91 metres, ten centimetres short of her world record.

A British athlete has not won a track race at a Golden League meeting in four years, but Marlon Devonish missed out on a perfect opportunity. The 100 metres was lacking star names, with the five runners who finished in front of Devonish in the final in Osaka absent. But he came second, one hundredth of a second behind Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, of Norway.

“I thought I’d got it, I didn’t see him,” Devonish said. “At 60 metres, I was clear. I tightened up a bit, but it’s the end of the season and I shouldn’t be picking at things. Every time I’ve put a foot on the track, I’ve run consistently and I’m mixing with the best in the world. I can’t complain too much, it’s been the best season of my life.”

In third was another Briton, Rikki Fifton, 22, whose 10.17sec was a personal best and shows more depth for a relay team before next year’s Olympics. “It makes it exciting for next year, none of us can mess about,” Devonish said. “It makes me want to be faster, it makes everyone want to be faster. Next year’s the most important year.”