Track star Christine Ohuruogu swaps gold medals for gold paint

Track star Christine Ohuruogu MBE went gold and raised a glass of milk as part of our Milk Every Golden Moment campaign, which aims to highlight the importance of milk in sport.

The gold-medal-winning former track and field athlete, together with four of the UK’s up-and-coming gold-medal prospects, was painted head to toe in gold as part of the new campaign highlighting why so many British consumers rely on milk to support their sporting goals.

Christine said:

“As an athlete, I needed healthy bones and muscles – but also something that gives me that spark of energy.

"British milk contains essential nutrients like calcium, which is important for bone health, as well as protein which supports muscle growth, making it ideal for performance.”

She was joined by four potential Team GB gold prospects who have competed in British Universities and College Sports (BUCS) competitions – rower Vwairé Obukohwo, para-swimmer Faye Rogers and volleyball duo Javier and Joaquin Bello.

An independent survey¹ revealed milk as the number-one choice for UK adults to help achieve their health and fitness goals, with more than twice as many people prioritising drinking milk than other supplementary aids like protein shakes and powders.

• Drink cow’s milk (39%)
• Use dietary supplements (36%)
• Regularly eat red meat (31%)
• Use pre-workout or post-workout supplements, e.g. protein shakes (17%)
• Intermittent fasting (15%)
• Use isotonic sports drinks (12%)
• Follow a diet designed for athletic performance (9%)

The popularity of cow’s milk was even greater among Gen Z (18–24-year olds), with 41% drinking it to support their fitness goals.

Vwairé Obukohwo (23), a rising star in the Team GB rowing squad, said:

“Before starting sport I restricted meat and dairy from my diet.

"As I became more competitive, I struggled with not having enough energy to complete training and improve my performance.

“Talks with doctors and nutritionists uncovered that I had multiple deficiencies and lacked enough protein to keep up with the high training demands.

"This meant I had two options: I could either take supplements – which come with risks of cross contamination with banned substances, can have poor bioavailability and are more expensive – or change my diet.

“It was best to reintroduce meat and dairy into my diet, which gave me the nutrition I needed to flourish and excel as a high-performance athlete.”

AHDB Lead Nutritionist Kate Arthur explained why cow’s milk is the secret to sporting success:

“Milk is naturally rich in high-quality protein, making it an affordable alternative to supplementary protein powders and shakes.

"Protein supports the growth and maintenance of muscles. It also contains potassium, which helps muscles to work normally.  

“It’s also naturally rich in calcium, which helps the maintenance of normal bones, which is really important when playing active sports.

“Milk provides the vitamin B12 too, a nutrient which releases energy from food and helps us feel less tired.

"Better still, all these nutrients in milk are naturally packaged together in a unique way that means they work together and our bodies are able to get the absolute best from them.

“For anyone looking to achieve a healthier, more active lifestyle, my recommendation is to enjoy a varied and healthy, balanced diet to give yourself the best possible chance of achieving adequate nutrient intake, and not missing out on those important vitamins and minerals that support us when staying active.”   

¹ AHDB commissioned OnePoll to run a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults between 10.06.2024 and 13.06.2024