I must banish Olympic bitterness, says Radcliffe

NEW YORK: Paula Radcliffe must get over her Olympic bitterness and focus on the next edition in London in 2012, she said on Monday.

"I don't think I can keep going back over it, the bitterness that I don't need," the veteran Briton told reporters after winning the New York City marathon for the third time on Sunday. "It's a situation I can't change.

"I'm trying to stay positive and looking forward to 2012. I would like to be in London, I feel like I've got it (an Olympic medal) taken away from me twice now because of injuries."

Radcliffe may be 34 but she said ahead of the New York race that a gold medal in four years' time was still within reach.

"I do believe I have the chance to have another shot in 2012," she said. "I'll be 38 then. Constantina (Tomescu-Dita, the Olympic champion from Romania) was 38 this year so I know it's possible.

"I know the odds probably get less each time but my whole philosophy is keep persevering. For me personally it's certainly a huge motivation.

"I think the atmosphere and the support for the Olympics in your home country is an opportunity I would never want to miss."

Beijing agony

Radcliffe has won eight of nine marathons she has completed, stumbling only at the Beijing Games where she finished 23rd after her training was hampered by injuries.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics she pulled out during the race due to exhaustion.

Radcliffe said her third New York win underlined how important preparation was.

"The thing about the marathon is you can't take short cuts," she said. "You have to have good training.

"If you go into the race without the preparation you want in the bank it makes it harder because you know in the back of your mind you don't have the work done.

"That makes it harder when you hit the hard points because you can't dig deep into reserves you don't have."

Radcliffe would like to run more, given her relative inactivity due to injuries and a two-year absence to give birth to her daughter Isla, and said she was considering running some 10,000m races on the road and possibly on the track.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/05/2008 page22)