Farah, Ohuruogu to lead England at Comm Games

LONDON (AP):

European long-distance double champion Mo Farah was chosen yesterday as a member of England's track and field team for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The 27-year-old Farah, who was born in Somalia but grew up in England, won both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in Barcelona last month.

Christine Ohuruogu, who won Olympic gold in the 400m in Beijing, was also chosen for the team. Ohuruogu, who missed the European Championships after sitting out the trials because of a thigh injury, also won the 400m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan - just weeks after completing a one-year ban for missing three out-of-competition doping tests between October 2005 and July 2006.

Phillips Idowu, Lisa Dobriskey and Marlon Devonish are also in the England team, which includes 13 European Championships medallists from Barcelona on the 100-strong squad.

"We are confident that we have assembled an accomplished athletics team which is well-balanced, extremely competitive and comprises an exciting blend of experience with the talent of youth," Commonwealth Games England athletics team leader John Brierley said.

World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis opted out of the Commonwealth Games because it clashed with her training schedule.

Sprinter Dwain Chambers, the 60-metre indoor world champion and fifth in the 100 at the Europeans, was also left off the team. Mark Lewis-Francis is the only Englishman slated to run the 100m in New Delhi.