Britain's athletics chief admits it will be a miracle if Paula wins Beijing marathon

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Dave Collins, the performance director who will lead Britain's athletes to China, appeared to come closer than any UKA official so far to publicly conceding that Radcliffe's injury problems make her task of winning the marathon almost insurmountable.

Privately, some British officials, working on the information emerging from the Radcliffe camp at her base in the Pyrenees, are already resigned to the thought that a woman who will have had less than eight weeks of running before lining up for the marathon in Tiananmen Square has no chance of making up for her Athens misery of 2004.

Paula Radcliffe was in brilliant form last year when she won the New York marathon but her Olympic hopes are hanging by a thread

Because she is arguably the greatest runner British athletics has ever produced, she will be given until as close as 23 hours before the race to make her decision about running.

'It's a race against time,' said Radcliffe, after flying in to London for tests on her fractured femur at the Olympic Medical Institute.

Yet many fear the race is already lost, not just because it was only eight weeks ago that specialists told her it would be a miracle if she was able to run in the Olympics but also because her great rival, champion Mizuki Noguchi, of Japan, is said to be running at a far improved level compared to four years ago.

'It would be miraculous ,' Collins admitted.

'But I think there is a possibility of her competing otherwise we would not be going down this process. If she goes, she will go ready to perform.'