Christine Ohuruogu knows that there are all kinds of sh*t. She even did her university thesis on it, exploring the origins and usage of swear words. “I began looking at why they get certain connotations, why some are considered bad,” she said.

This might be deemed particularly relevant to Ohuruogu, who accepts that the three drugs tests she missed in eight months mean people view her through different lenses, but she says she is content with life as she prepares for a tilt at the Olympic 400 metres title.

Intriguingly, she also revealed that there may be two Ohuruogus at the next Games in London. “My little sister, Vicky, is with the Newham 2012 club,” she said. “She’s only 15 but she’s kind of serious. It’s going to be hard for her because of me, but such is life.”

The elder Ohuruogu is a complex character. She calls herself a scatterbrain but has a linguistics degree; she is a world champion but remains an outsider; she talks of the sacrifice she made to train alone and triumph at those World Championships in Osaka, but then reveals she almost did not bother going to Japan. “I was being drug-tested in Glasgow after running there and I missed my flight from London to Hong Kong,” she said.

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All that talk about the target of finishing in eighth place is a load of nonsense

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“I thought if I have to go home with my bags to my apartment then I’m going to pull out of the team. It wasn’t my fault. It so wasn’t my fault. I didn’t get the chance to shower or anything. It was horrible.” She managed to get a flight one hour later. The rest is history. “It just defined who I am,” she said of the ensuing controversy. “I’m a bit more robust than I would have been. I think it just sharpens you as a person.”

On paper Ohuruogu is a medium to long shot for the gold. Sanya Richards, the American, is a hot favourite, having run quicker than Ohuruogu’s season’s best of 50.80 seconds on eight occasions this year. After Ohuruogu won gold in Osaka, where Richards missed the 400m after falling ill at the US trials, the American trotted off four better times than the Briton’s winning mark of 49.61. That time would not have won any of the last eight Olympic finals, but there is a lingering question mark over Richards’ health. Last year she was diagnosed with Behcet’s Syndrome, which affects the immune system and can be brought on by stress.

“My coach says that when you run a 400 it’s not about who’s the fastest or strongest, but who wants to get to the line first,” Ohuruogu said. “Also, when you run fast you put a strain on your body and that’s when you can get injured. The stronger you get the weaker you get. It’s a long season so what’s the point running fast too early?”

If form can be misleading, Ohuruogu believes seeing the likes of Richards in action while warm-weather training in California will hold her in good stead. “It was an eye-opener,” she said. “People say the Olympic final is hard, but those meets had it all. That’s why they are so strong. You can train all you like but if your head’s not right then you are going down the pan.”

The pressure is mounting on Ohuruogu to defy the odds and there is a chance that she may win another medal in the 4x400m relay. “The hardest thing is getting through the heats, but if three of us get to the individual final who are you going to put in the first round of the relay?” Ohuruogu asked.

The main question remains can she become the first British woman to win the Olympic 400m title? The closest were Ann Packer and Lillian Broad in the 1960s, while Kathy Cook and Katharine Merry added bronzes in 1984 and 2000 respectively.

Ohuruogu believes she is in good shape but does not like to over-analyse matters. “In my thesis I looked at what swear words mean because you can get nouns, verbs, expletives, but really it was just a whole lot of garbage thrown together.” She is banking on the pieces coming together when she starts her Olympics on Saturday week.