Sports Personality contender: Athlete Christine Ohuruogu

During the countdown to the 60th BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on Sunday, 15 December, we will be looking at each of the 10 shortlisted contenders.

Christine Ohuruogu had a triumphant 2013 when she became the first British woman to win two Athletics World Championship crowns when she clinched gold in Moscow in August.

The 400m runner, who won her first world title in 2007, returned from Russia not only with a gold but a British record.

The 29-year-old also broke Kathy Cook's long-standing record by two hundredths of a second as she chased down defending champion Amantle Montsho to win a thrilling photo finish.

"It was really special, when my name came up with the national record that's what sealed the deal for me, that was everything I'd worked for," Ohuruogu told BBC Sport.

"I literally put myself on the line by going for that. It's one thing saying you can achieve something it's another thing actually going out and doing it.

"Even though I didn't tell anyone I was going for the record I knew I was going for the record so if I didn't achieve it that would still hurt me regardless of whether anyone else knew or not, so it was a beautiful moment to know I'd got it."

Ohuruogu also won 4x400m relay bronze in Moscow alongside Eilidh Child, Shana Cox and Margaret Adeoye.

She bounced back after receiving a year ban for missing three different out-of-competition drug tests in 2006, and was awarded an MBE in the wake of her gold medal success at the 2008 Olympics.

The Lambeth-born athlete became the face of London 2012 which was held in the borough where she grew up, and rewarded fans with a silver medal in the 400m at the Olympic Stadium.

Ohuruogu, described by UK Athletics performance director Neil Black, as one of Britain's greatest ever athletes, was chosen to captain the British team at the 2013 World Championships.

The Londoner was also named the Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year for 2013 on 5 December but has said in the past that she is often asked whether she feels she receives the recognition she deserves.

"We're athletes; we're not pop stars, " she told BBC Sport. "We don't thrive on public recognition. My job is to run around a track a fast as I can and that's independent of outside influences."

Previous winners of the award include Sally Gunnell, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paula Radcliffe and Victoria Pendleton, while last year's award went to Jessica Ennis-Hill after she won gold at the London Olympics.

Ohuruogu has already confirmed that she has set herself a target of competing at the Olympics in Rio in 2016, and will be looking to reclaim the Commonwealth gold medal at next year's Games in Glasgow.