Britain's Paula Radcliffe has competed four times at the Olympics - she ran the 5,000m in Atlanta, the 10,000 in Sydney and the marathon in Athens and Beijing. An injury kept her from completing the race in Athens, and another injury held her to 23rd in Beijing. Can she finally medal in London?   [Photo/Agencies]

Paula Radcliffe, who's been selected to compete in her fifth Olympics, will be aiming for her first medal

Paula Radcliffe is hoping for the good fortune that eluded her at the last two Olympic Games when she competes in London next year after becoming only the third British track and field athlete to be selected for five Games.

Barring injury, the 37-year-old world record holder will be the first Briton to compete in three Olympic marathons.

Radcliffe, who failed to do herself justice in Athens and Beijing, was selected on Tuesday for the 2012 marathon along with Mara Yamauchi and Scott Overall, the sole male runner selected so far.

The only other two track and field athletes to compete at five Games are javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson, the 1984 gold medalist, and race walker Chris Maddocks.

Radcliffe, who has yet to win an Olympic medal, was forced to drop out of the 2004 Athens marathon through illness and injury and finished 23rd in Beijing after her preparations were also hampered by injury.

Speaking to reporters after her selection, Radcliffe said she felt she could still win next year, even if her chances might not be as strong as four years ago.

"I am just hoping that luck smiles on me a little bit this time and I am able to go in and give it 100 percent in an Olympic Games," said Radcliffe, who competed in the 5,000m in Atlanta in 1996 and over 10,000m in Sydney.

"Obviously it (winning a medal) is something that I really, really want to do, it's something that I feel capable of.

"I think if I look back, I wasn't quite good enough in the 10k, I wasn't quite good enough in the 5k, but I feel that I probably should have done it in the marathon but I just didn't get it right.

"I think that's what really I am looking for this time, just to get the chance to go in and be able to give it 100 percent on the day and then either it's good enough or not good enough."

Radcliffe said she is yet to finalize her preparations but would probably run a couple of half-marathons between now and the Olympics, as well as some 10,000m, but not a competitive marathon.

"Obviously, as I am getting a bit older you have to be a bit more careful in terms of listening to your body, allowing it to recover more," she said.

"But at the end of the day, I know what training I need to do to be in the shape to go out there and challenge to win. At a certain point you have to take that risk."

Although a home Games in London will be high profile and high stress, Radcliffe said she felt more relaxed after all her career ups and downs.

"I have had a long career and am able to stand back a little bit and be very grateful for the length of career I've had and the amount of success I've been able to have," she said.

"So I am not bitter about the way things have gone or blaming myself or being really harsh on myself. At the same time I still want to push myself as hard as I can to do better ...part of me hopes there is a little bit of luck owed to me there."

Past month Radcliffe received a boost when she was reinstated as the holder of the women's world marathon record at 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds, overturning a controversial decision by the IAAF not to recognize the time.

She had originally set the time in winning the 2003 London Marathon.

Andy Hunt, BOA chief executive and chef de mission of Team GB, said: "Achieving Team GB selection to five consecutive Olympic Games is a remarkable feat and Paula Radcliffe is a truly special British athlete."

Reuters