Paula Radcliffe
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | [undue weight? – discuss] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Club | Bedford & County Athletic Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 1996, 5000 m, 5th 2000, 10,000 m, 4th 2004, Marathon, DNF 2004, 10,000 m, DNF |
| World finals | 1993, 3000 m, 7th 1997, 5000 m, 4th 1999, 10,000 m, Silver 2001, 10,000 m, 4th 2005, 10,000 m, 9th 2005, Marathon, Gold |
| Highest world ranking | 1 |
| Personal best(s) | 5000 m, 14:29.11 10,000 m, 30:01.09 Marathon, 2:15:25 |
| Updated on 25-08-2007 | |
 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2005 Helsinki | Marathon |
 |
1999 Seville | 10000 m |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
|
2002 Manchester | 5,000 m |
| European Championships | ||
|
2002 Munich | 10000 m |
| EuropeanCup | ||
|
1998 St. Petersburg | 5000 m |
|
1999 Paris | 5000 m |
|
2004 Bydgoszcz | 5000 m |
|
1998 St. Petersburg | 1500 m |
|
2001 Bremen | 5000 m |
 |
1997 Munich | 3000 m |
| World Half Marathon Championships | ||
|
2000 Veracruz | HM |
|
2001 Bristol | HM |
|
2003 Vilamoura | HM |
| World Cross Country Championships | ||
|
1992 Boston | Junior |
|
2001 Ostend | Snr, long |
|
2002 Dublin | Snr, long |
|
1997 Turin | Snr, long |
|
1998 Marrakech | Snr, long |
|
2001 Ostend | Snr, short |
|
1999 Belfast | Snr, long |
 | The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. |
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE (born 17 December, 1973) is a British long-distance runner. She is the current world record holder for the women's marathon, which she set during the 2003 London Marathon, with a time of 2:15:25. This mark is currently one of the highest scoring performances ever, in terms of IAAF world ranking points, at 1307, higher in value than Florence Griffith-Joyner's 100 and 200 m records, Marita Koch's 400 m, and Michael Johnson's 400 m record. This score would equate to between 9.75 s and 9.76 s in the men's 100 m sprint. [1] The current world record is 9.74 seconds
Early career
Radcliffe was born in Davenham near Northwich, Cheshire and moved to Barnton where she attended Little Leigh Primary School. Her family then moved to Kingsley before moving to Oakley, Bedfordshire at the age of 12.[2] She there attended Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College and became a member of Bedford Athletic Club.
She studied French, German and economics at Loughborough University. Her early running success was in cross country events, including the 1992 World Junior title, beating Wang Junxia. She missed the 1994 season through injury, but came back with a succession of good results at 5000 m, including fifth place in both the 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympic Games. Although silver-medalist in the 1999 World Championships in Athletics Radcliffe seemed destined never to win a major 5,000 m or 10,000 m title, finishing out of the medals at the 2000 Olympic Games and 2001 World Championships
Later career
Radcliffe made the move up to the marathon, a decision that immediately paid off with victory at that year's London Marathon in a world's best time for a women's only race (2:18:56) and second overall to Catherine Ndereba's World Record of 2:18:47. Later that year, Radcliffe set a world record time of 2:17:18 in the Chicago Marathon on 13 October, 2002, breaking the previous record by a minute and a half. She broke the record again in London marathon in April 2003, with a time of 2:15:25. She won the 2004 New York Marathon even though not fully prepared (the only occasion that a competitor came within a minute of her). Of the seven marathons Radcliffe has run so far, she has won six and set a record in five, building up a claim to be the best female distance runner of all time in her age group. She has run four out of the five fastest times in history in the women's marathon (fourth place being held by Catherine Ndereba).
Personal life
Radcliffe is married to her coach, former international 1500m runner Gary Lough. On 17 January 2007, at 9:43a.m., Radcliffe gave birth to a healthy baby daughter, Isla, at the Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco after a 16-hour labour.
2004 Olympics
Radcliffe did not compete in the London Marathon in 2004, but was the favourite to win the gold medal in the marathon at that year's Olympic Games. However, she suffered an injury to her leg just two weeks prior to the event and had to use a high dose of anti-inflammatory drugs. This allegedly had an adverse effect on her stomach hindering food absorption. The resultant lack of energy and carbohydrates in her system before the start of the race might have led to her distressing withdrawal after 36km. Five days later she started in the 10,000 metres but, still suffering from the effects of the marathon, retired with eight laps remaining.
Regarded as Great Britain's best gold medal hope in athletics, her withdrawal made headlines in the UK, with editorial stances ranging from support to negativity, with some newspapers deriding Radcliffe for 'quitting', rather than going on to finish the race[1]. Television pictures showed Radcliffe in a clearly distressed state after dropping out of the marathon.
Post 2004 Olympics
She made a successful comeback in her next marathon, winning the 2004 New York Marathon in a time of 2 hours 23 minutes 10 seconds. After a close race with Kenya's Susan Chepkemei her greater strength allowed her to pull away to victory at the end.
At the 2005 London Marathon she won with a time of 2 hours 17 minutes 42 seconds, a world's best time for a women's only race by over a minute. The race however is remembered more for a notorious moment towards the end when Radcliffe, feeling hindered by bowel discomfort and in need for a toilet break, stopped and defecated on the side of the street in plain view of the crowd and TV cameras which broadcast the incident live [2] [3]. After the race she apologiesed to viewers and explained what happened, saying "I didn’t really want to resort to that in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Basically I needed to go. I started feeling it between 15 and 16 miles and probably carried on too long before stopping. I must have eaten too much beforehand". In November 2006, the incident was voted top running moment in history from a choice of ten 'unforgettable moments' [4].
On 14 August 2005 she won her first gold medal at the World Championships when she took the marathon title in Helsinki, Finland, dominating the race and setting a championship record time of 2 hours, 20 minutes and 57 seconds. For the same race, she and three other British runners were awarded third place in the team competition.
Radcliffe took a break through the 2006 season, as she was expecting her first child. Her comeback was further delayed in 2007 due to a stress fracture in her lower back which could be connected to her childbirth but has been argued to be due to her choice of running shoes.
Radcliffe chose not to defend her world marathon crown in 2007, in order to undertake further rehabilitation.
She made her return to competitive running on 30 September 2007 at the Great North Run, a half marathon, in which she finished second. She made her marathon return at the New York City Marathon on the 4 November 2007 which she won. She has stated that a start at the World Cross Country Championships at Edinburgh is a possibility. [5]
Other achievements and awards
Radcliffe has set numerous records, official and unofficial, on the track and the roads. She currently (as of 11 October 2006) holds the official world record for 10 km on roads. She has twice won the World Half-Marathon championships, twice the World Cross-Country championships (in 2001 and 2002), and in December 2003 became European Cross-Country champion for the second time, the only woman to have achieved this feat in the event's ten-year history.
Forced out of the Paris World Athletics Championships because of injury in 2003, her greatest moment on the track has been European gold at 10,000m in 2002. Hindered by back-markers, and in the rain, she nevertheless ran a time of 30:01.09 (a European record by 12 seconds, and second only to Wang Junxia's controversial world record time of 29:31.78 set in Beijing [6] ). The same year she won Commonwealth Games gold in the 5000m, missing the world record by three seconds.
She was awarded an MBE in June 2002, and later in the year became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
In July 2006, Radcliffe, who had not raced for over six months due to a metatarsal injury, announced she was pregnant but insisted she wanted to compete in the next two Olympic Games.
On 30 September 2007, Radcliffe took part in the BUPA Great North Run in the UK on Tyneside. This was her first race in almost two years. She succeeded in gaining second place beaten by the US runner Kara Goucher over the half-marathon distance.
Anti doping
Radcliffe's athletic ability and commitment to training are accompanied by a strong belief in playing by the rules. She has frequently made high-profile condemnations of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics, most famously at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton in 2001 when Radcliffe and team-mate Hayley Tullett held up a sign protesting against the reinstatement of Russian athlete Olga Yegorova, after Yegorova had tested positive for the banned substance EPO. Radcliffe also wears a red ribbon when competing to show her support for blood testing as a method of catching drugs cheats.
Style
Radcliffe's distinctive "nodding" action while running made her instantly recognisable to British viewers and she quickly achieved popularity, reflected in her being voted the 2002 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She is not known for her sprint finish and relies on setting a punishing pace from the start so to pull away from her opponents and open up an unassailable gap.
Achievements
Personal bests
- 400 m - 58.9
- 800 m - 2:05.22
- 1000 m - 2:47.17
- 1500 m - 4:05.37
- 1 mi - 4:24.94
- 2000 m - 5:37.01+
- 3000 m - 8:22.20 (UK record)
- 2 mi - 9:17.4
- 4000 m - 11:35.21+
- 5000 m - 14:29.11 (UK record)
- 10,000 m - 30:01.09 (European record)
- 5 km road - 14:48+
- 4 mi road - 19:51+
- 5 mi road - 24:47+
- 8 km road - 24:05+ (World Best)
- 10 km road - 30:21 (WR)
- 15 km road - 46:41+ (World Best)
- 10 mi road - 50:01+ (World Best)
- 20 km road - 1:02.21+
- Half Marathon - 1:05:40 (World Best)
- 25 km road - 1:20:36+ (World Best)
- 30 km road - 1:36:36+ (World Best)
- 20 mi road - 1:43:33+ (World Best)
- Marathon - 2:15:25 (WR)
Bibliography
- My Story So Far (Paula Radcliffe with David Walsh) ISBN 0-7432-5242-X
See also
References
- ^ http://www.iaaf.org/news/newsId=20021,printer.html
- ^ "New girl on the block", Northwich Chronicle, July 31 2002
External links
- Paula Radcliffe - The Official Website
- Paula's training video 1
- Paula's training video 2
- Paula Radcliffe at World Athletics
- Paula Radcliffe's 'bionic' kit (August 14, 2005)
- One Track Mind (April 16, 2005)
- Long Road Back (October 31, 2004)
- Failing to finish at the 2004 Olympic Games (August 22, 2004)
- Paula Radcliffe's Journey from Disappointing Fourth to Dominant First (June, 2004)
- Escorting Paula (April, 2003)
- Guardian interview about drug use in sport (August 20, 2001)
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- 1973 births
- Living people
- Athletes at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Athletes at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners
- English athletes
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- Long-distance runners
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Olympic athletes of Great Britain
- Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award winner
- World record holders
- People from Bedfordshire