How many medals paula radcliffe won

Radcliffe's ascent was a pretty meteoric one, going from th at the English Schools in to fourth 12 months later. She became the Junior World Champion over the cross in Boston and by the age of 20, was was making global senior finals.

Four years on, she was agonisingly edged off the podim in the 10,m in Sydney, fading to fourth after leading for much of the race.

It was a familiar sight - Radcliffe, the gutsy front-runner had gained a reputation for missing out on international silverware - and yet her true 'One That Got Away' did not come until her third Olympic games.

It was to be in Athens where she endured the most heart-breaking defeat of them all. In the build-up to Athens, Radcliffe was training better than ever before; the numbers even suggested that she was in superior shape to when she set her remarkable marathon world record in London the year before. Her mark of Since her debut in , she'd run three marathons, won every one and produced three of the fastest four times in history. There are favourites and then there was Radcliffe in her prime.

In Athens, every one of the 81 other women on the start line, knew that she was not only the fastest there, but the fastest there had ever been. However, what none of them knew was that Radcliffe had a nightmarish final few weeks of build-up.

An abscess deep in her knee had required syringing and an injection of cortisone, along with a heavy course of anti-inflammatories. As you would expect, that combined with the stress of the experience, contributed to poor sleep, an upset stomach, and Radcliffe's preparations coming unstuck on the eve of 'the biggest day of [her] running life. Would she have raced had it not been the Olympics - the most prestigious of all athletics events?

It's hard to imagine what it must be like, after years of mile weeks and meticulous preparation, and knowing that so many had already hung the gold medal around your neck, to also know that your ability to even complete the distance seemed far from certain.

When you go in and you know that things are very far from perfect, it's very difficult. I just remember feeling very, very cold - even though it was the hottest day. And then, when there was a bit of a breakaway towards the crest of the hill, I remember feeling like I was running out of energy. I still thought I could get back into the race, even when I was dropping back, but I just wasn't able to do it. As an undefeated world-record holder over the distance, the experience was scary and had a profound impact on her.

Vince Savage, I remember the distressing marathon run , where she collapsed , fantastic runner. Barbara Glasper. Aug 10, PM. Marian Spitzig. Very surprising with all those records, and wins, there are no medals. Jul 26, PM.

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