Radcliffe racing against illness again
PAULA RADCLIFFE’S 38-year-old body will start out on its final Olympic campaign in Vienna tomorrow fighting another in the litany of ailments that have stalked her career. The marathon world record holder is suffering from bronchitis. ‘It’s something I’m prone to around winter time,’ said Radcliffe, who completes her course of antibiotics today. ‘It’s not such a bad thing given there’s quite a long way to go and I have the volume of training behind me. It’s just frustrating because I don’t have many races planned.’ Nonetheless, she will still run a novel form of the half marathon around Vienna’s streets, setting off as the hare to be chased down by Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie in an adjunct to the mass participation races. The gap between the pair will be 7min 52sec, based on the difference between their personal bests. But their motivations are wider apart. While Gebrselassie, 39 next week, has no intention of competing in this summer’s London Games, Radcliffe is desperate to use her home tarmac to put right her wellchronicled Olympic disappointments. Despite starting as favourite for gold at Athens in 2004, she failed to finish. And, after suffering injuries in the countdown to Beijing in 2008, she cramped up and finished 23rd. So what does London promise? ‘I would be happy with a bronze,’ she said. ‘I don’t have an Olympic medal so any would be great. I’d love a gold but I am realistic. ‘I’m not going into it holding as many cards as I was in 2004. That didn’t work out for me. ‘That whole frustrating thing still drives me. The lessons I learned were horrible but they do stand you in good stead.’