AGE: 30 COUNTRY: Great Britain EVENT: Women's marathon THE DRAMA: Radcliffe wants to exorcise the demons of Sydney and win an Olympic medal THE COMPETITION: Kenya's Catherine Ndereba—second-fastest in history after Radcliffe—and Margaret Okayo
Posted Sunday, August 8, 2004; 11.13BST
Fourth is definitely a tough place to finish," says Paula Radcliffe. She knows that place well. Four years ago in Sydney, the Briton led the women's 10,000 m for almost the entire distance. Head bobbing, arms pumping, she plunged on and on, looking less like a graceful gazelle than an awkward, if fast, giraffe. A cluster of runners, including two Ethiopians and a Portuguese, dogged her every step. Then, on the final lap, they were gone, whipping past her and shifting into a gear they'd saved for this medal-winning moment, a gear that, on that day, Radcliffe didn't have.
Fourth place doesn't get you gold, silver or bronze but Radcliffe gained steel. "If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger," she says of the loss. After Sydney and a similar fourth at the 2001 worlds in Edmonton, Canada, she is strong indeed. In the past two years she has broken through to win the Commonwealth title at 5,000 m and the European title at 10,000 m, and stepped up to the marathon, in which she has set two world records in just three races. She has also qualified for the 10,000 m in Athens, but she plans to run only the longer race. A win would cement her place among the greatest female distance runners of all time.
To millions, her grit, spirit and record-breaking runs have already made her a hero. Unfailingly modest, Radcliffe shies from the label. "I see myself exactly the same way as I did when I was starting out at 9 years of age," she says. "Things have changed a little and I compete on a different stage, but I run because I love to run and challenge myself to get the best out of myself." Her attitude is great. Athens will show if it's golden.
Double Dutch in the Olympic Pool [Jul. 26, 2004]
Twin sisters Sonja and Bianca van der Velden are in this together — and they have plenty to smile about
Straight To Video [Jul. 26, 2004]
Sure, the Games are always TV-friendly. But the Athens Olympics are designed for cameras, not fans. No sweat: ticket sales are slow anyway
Leaving the Past Behind [Jul. 12, 2004]
Victory for Taiwan's baseball team may restore some luster to the island's scandal-tainted diamonds
Is She the Next Nadia? [Jul. 05, 2004]
Catalina Ponor, cultivated in the hothouse of Romanian gymnastics, wants to be nothing less
To The Hammer Born [Jun. 21, 2004]
In Koji Murofushi's family, becoming a world-class athlete is just the standard career path
Athens Clears A Hurdle [May. 24, 2004]
The Olympic Stadium is topped off and gets a big thumbs-up for its prep work
The King of Racewalking [May. 31, 2004]
Poland's Robert Korzeniowski is the greatest of all time — and he's going for one last gold in Athens
Going to the Temple of Love [May. 24, 2004]
A sailor's tribute to Aphrodite is uncovered by Olympic constructors
How Safe Is Athens? [May. 17, 2004]
Bombs go off 100 days before the Olympics begin. A look at who may have planted them, and how officials plan to secure the Games
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
