Beijing 2008 - Radcliffe struggles in marathon
Eurosport - Mon, 18 Aug 05:30:00 2008
Paula Radcliffe missed out on an Olympic medal for the fifth time when her patched-up body again fell foul of the rigours of the marathon four years after she dropped out of the race in Athens.
Radcliffe, the world record holder, looked unlikely to even make the Beijing Games after suffering a stress fracture of her thigh three months ago but vowed to run having finished fourth in the 10,000 metres in 2000 and fifth in the 5,000 in 1996.
Through a mixture of low-impact cross-training and determination she was able to take her place on the start line and looked comfortable enough for the first half of the race.
Like everyone else in the field, she was unable to respond when eventual winner Constantina Tomescu broke clear around the halfway mark but remained well-placed in the chasing pack.
When she stopped twice there were flashbacks to 2004, when a mixture of heat and illness forced her to pull out six kilometres from the end of the Athens race.
The first occasion on Sunday was a natural break and the second an attack of cramp, but by then she had dropped out of contention.
Radcliffe looked determined to complete the distance and, limping, she was given a great ovation by the crowd as she finished 23rd in 2:32.38, 17 minutes slower than her best.
After a post-race hug with compatriot Liz Yelling, Radcliffe sobbed as she left the track.
"I'm not sure what happened, either my leg cramped or I was protecting it but I felt I couldn't use my leg any more," Radcliffe told reporters.
"It felt like someone was stepping on it but when I turned round there was nobody there. It was the same leg (as the fracture) but it wasn't a sharp pain, more a tightening up."
Radcliffe, who also failed to finish in the 10,000 metres in Athens, accepted that her chances of a medal had been slim but she has not ruled out one more try on home soil in 2012.
"I was trying to achieve the impossible because the amount of running I had done wasn't enough and you can't take short-cuts in the marathon," the 34-year-old said.
"It's not the end. We'll keep fingers crossed for 2012. Maybe the Olympics won't happen for me but how hold is Constantina (38)?
"Maybe my body will hold out. I know in London I will have all that support."
38-year-old Tomescu made her move after a large leading group set a plodding early pace and, with nobody choosing to respond, was a minute clear inside the final 10km.
Pre-race favourite Catherine Ndereba of Kenya beat China's Zhou Chunxiu for silver in a down-to-the-wire sprint as around 50,000 patiently-waiting fans cheered the home favourite.
Tomescu, third in the 2005 world championships and world half marathon champion the same year, stretched her lead further over the closing stages to win in two hours, 26 minutes 44 seconds.
Beijing's notoriously muggy weather relented with cool temperatures, an overcast sky and occasional drizzle keeping conditions bearable.
World champion Ndereba, silver medallist four years ago, showed little sign of life in the first part of the race.
She hit the halfway mark in 26th place and briefly faded from the pack only to gather speed again in the closing stages and finish in 2:27.06, a second ahead of Zhou.
Mara Yamauchi sprinted home in sixth to equal the best ever result by a British woman in an Olympic marathon while Yelling was 26th after falling.
American Deena Kastor, bronze medallist in 2004, dropped out clutching her right foot less than 20 minutes into the race while Reiko Tosa, Japan's best hope of collecting their third successive women's marathon gold medal, also failed to finish.
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Comment 29 - 48 of 48
jD........ you are an idiot. So what if she urinates during the marathon? weak bladder??? how about a strong sense of perseverence and a willing unrivalled sporting attitude. I'm irish, and we have a certain mental block about cheering on GB but she is a stunning athlete who is so outspoken about drugs cheats that i would stop watching SPORT in general, if i thought there was the slightest chance she was doping. Short of using illegal substances or unsporting behaviour, the whole point of the olympics is to do what you have to- to win! IF THAT MEANS TRAINING THAT 50TH HOUR PER WEEK OR TAKING A LEAK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SAVE TIME THEN SO BE IT. Next you'll wonder why the female athletes in the marathon look so unkempt? couldn't they at least apply some make up???? have you any clue about competitive sport??????
Now that all the hooha about Radcliffe going for gold and in with a chance can someone let me know why a Lady would urinate twice in public. This is the bailywick of drunks and lager louts or someone with a very weak bladder. Jeff Powell called Radcliffe "A Drama Queen". There might be something more sinister as having a urine test is one way in the drug test of detecting illegal substances. Peeing them down the drain in the highway would be a way of getting rid of trouble. I am sceptical of athletes at the best of times and will wait until after The Games before coming to a definative conclusion. Breaking records leaves me with doubts but doing it a number of times raises the alarm bells. I hope someone like Michael Phelps convinces me that swimming is now clean. We do not want another multi-gold winner using cheating methods and shaming a nation.
PAULA YOU ARE BRAVE AND WE SALUTE YOU. WAIT TILL 2012 AND THEN THESE IDIOTS ON HERE WILL EAT THEIR WORDS. FROM ONE RUNNER TO ANOTHER. WELL DONE TO PAULA, LIZ AND MARA, PEOPLE DO NOT REALISE HOW MUCH GOES INTO PREPARING FOR A MARATHON OF THIS SCALE. FIGHTING FIT YOU WILL PROVE WHO IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD, INJURIES COME AND GO BUT YOUR SPIRIT AND DETERMINATION INSPIRES MILLIONS. ROLL ON 2012, IT WILL BE GOLD FOR PAULA.
Paula is still world champion and will defend her title next year
why are people being very harsh to Paula, yes she did run when she knew she was not at her best but to call her an underachiever is so grossly wrong and widely inaccurate for all the reasons stated ( world champion and multi record holder titles held).
As I stated on the third post of page 1. ALL THESE LADIES DESERVE OUR PRAISE.
Well done to Constantina the brave 38 year old Romainian she deserved her win without any doubt.
The Kenyan Cathrine and Chinese Zhou ran a great race followed by the other Chinese and Kenyan ladies taking fouth and fith place.
Mara did great to come in sixth and all kudos to her but even she admitted that on this occasion this was the best she was ever going to get.
She was the highest placed Brit in an Olymic race but certainly not in a world race there have been at least two other British Ladies who have won world gold. That in no way diminishes Mara's acheivment but niether does it make her the top marathon runner for GB.
Liz Yelling made 25 even thogh she was injured and for Paula to make 23 is just marvelous after having a sress fracture to her femur only three months before.
To ask why the article is about Paula and not someone else is futile as the whole of this article is about Paula running even with her fracture. To imply that this takes away from Constantina is just not true. This plucky Romanian woman outsmarted all the other runners despite being among the more mature of the women.
I will say again great running to all of those Ladies every one a winner in my eyes and just to let everyone know I am not Romainian, Kenyan or Chinese, in fact, I am British and can only say that the medal places went to the three best runners on the day and were all well deserved.
who cares ..paula has been..now is now and she is not the one full stop
q
Penny Kieth - how on earth can you possibly say Paula is the best?
she came 23rd! she took all of the money she was paid to train, and she came 23rd she is an embarrassment NOT the best.
well done to all the ladies who ran this race they were all winners. Concertina deserved her win and congrats to her. Paula ran a race that showed such courage and mettle onher part and one cannot but admire her. Liz ran well despite a tumble and bruising.
My heart goes out to Deena and Rieko and hope they are OK for the next marathon.
The two chinese and Kenyan girls were terrific and Mara rahn the race of her life.
What a race it was full of dramma and hope and heartbreak
well 23rd in the world and 2nd in the uk so being the best isn't quite true
Paula - go girl, you're THE best.
JD what the hell are you talking about?
The Brits have won a pocketful of Gold and here we read of some sad runner called Rdtclif or something. Get a life you lot of Moaners and be thankful. My day is made when dopeheads are caught cheating so losing athletes who finish 23rd are not worth all the media space. Lets talk about this years Games before we move to the Dopes' Games in London when doping will be legal and sad Brits will get a big injection to help them win. We might see Chambers, Christie, Smith/Brun, Lewis, Montgomery and Co. all winning Gold. Think I'm joking. Drugs aint no Joke.
Too much coverage for Radcliffe. She came knowing she wouldn't win or even get a medal, but still garners disproportionate coverage. Perhaps she knows that for commercial reasons she needs to keep her profile high and so she ran anyway and got herself a stack of airtime. The sad thing is that the Radciffe ego is being massaged and other athlete's achievements are being ignored. Lets hear it for the Winner. The olympics is a sporting event it is not about pluckily finishing (thats for the amateurs who run the London marathon. If she wasn't fit to compete she shouldn't have been there.
agreed stress fractures are not easily cured in 3 months and yet they pick her. It's as logical as always picking beckham for the england team
Trademark performance by Paula-started in the leading group, stopped to take a piss, stopped again for a breather and then finished up with a good cry. Look, there is no question that Paula is a good athlete but she just simply shouldn't have been competing in the Olympics given her poor build-up. No other UK athlete in her position would have been able to compete whatever the sport. Hence the UK olympics athletic selectors must share the blame with Paula for allowing her to do so.
i feel so sorry for poor paula, she is such a hard worker and definately deserves at least one gold medal at the olympic games.
fingers crossed for 2012.
Who or what is paula "can't do it on the big stage" Radcliffe, going into the olympic's is about winning golds, not satisfying your own ego, she was never going to be fit so she should never have run, she doesn't deserve any sympathy she fails her country every time!
Yes, well done Mara! Look forward to seeing her at 2012, too. Perhaps there will be a good fight for the Gold with Mara and Paula; hopefully they will both be fit! I think this article is more about Paula because they know everyone will want to know about her, and there will be somewhere (at least I flippin' hope so because if not I would be a bit miffed if I was her!) a good mention for Mara, too.
Having said that, I bet her result was enough of a high for her. Mara ran very well.
Has to be said, there were some good times out there when you consider how humid it is, and esp. how bad the air pollution is in Bejing.
it sickens me that this article even is about Paula considering our best result by a Brit was Mara Yamauchi but she barely gets a mention. 6th is superb but all the attention goes to the limping ego that is paula. And Pana N - check the medal's table before you start spouting off and Derek, I reserve all rights to critique Paula and her demands to compete here and point out that she always drops out citing 'injury or cramps' every time she knows she can't win as an excuse to not try. And yes London marathon last year means I have done it thank you very much
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