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Great Britain’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe will end her career without an Olympic gold medal in her collection after it was confirmed she was withdrawing from the race in London with a foot injury.
There had been serious concerns in the past week that the 38-year-old would not run in the women’s marathon next Sunday and, heartbreakingly for the veteran distance runner, a report in the Mail on Sunday that she would be ruled out proved correct.
Radcliffe had tweeted on Sunday morning: “Hurt by dailymail & whoever thinks [they] know my situation, before even do final test run. Not looking good but my heartbreaking news to break!”
The news was announced only hours later when it was revealed that Radcliffe had failed a fitness test at the British team’s high altitude training camp.
Radcliffe, who had gone without a medal in four Olympic appearances despite being the women’s world record holder in the marathon and a former world champion, had a long-standing issue with osteoarthritis in her left foot that flared up again last month. ‘‘Shall we flip a coin?’’ remarked Britain’s head coach, Charles Van Commenee, of Radcliffe’s chances of starting in the women’s marathon only days ago.
The mother of two flew to Munich to consult a specialist this month and maintained high hopes of challenging for a medal on home soil but a trial run at the weekend confirmed her fears that she would not be fit to take her place in the field in London.
Radcliffe has suffered a series of desperately disappointing results at Olympic level, collapsing within striking distance of the finish line in Athens eight years ago due to a stomach problem and then being hit by injury in the months before Beijing in 2008, leading her to limp home in 23rd place. Her best Olympic finishes were fifth in Atlanta over 5000 metres and fourth in Sydney in the 10,000m.
She had never been beaten in a marathon in London.
Olympic heartbreak: Radcliffe confirms she’s out of the marathon
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