Paula agony - Radcliffe's hip injury puts her marathon gold dream in danger

Radcliffe has a muscular problem that has caused pain to her left hip and requires her to be on crutches for at least a week before an MRI scan next week to determine the seriousness of the injury.

Britain's best hope for an athletics gold medal insists that the problem is relatively minor, but it is bound to raise concerns so soon to the Olympics.

She said: "Obviously, the Olympics is extremely important. Little setbacks like this only strengthen my resolve to be there in my best shape."

Radcliffe has already missed weeks of training this year after a toe injury forced her out of the London Marathon. Dave Bedford, the former 10,000 metres world record holder and race director of the London Marathon, warned that Radcliffe's chances of taking the gold she always dreamed of winning will diminish rapidly if she cannot get back in training within a month.

He said: "The real question is how much training has she been able to do since the New Year and how long is she going to be out now. If she is able to get back in full training in a week or two, then that would be manageable. If takes a month, it would mean that the chances of being in her best possible shape for Beijing were slim.

"And we have to remember it's not just a case of turning up in Beijing and winning. No one should underestimate the impact of heat and humidity in Beijing. The closer she can get to 100 per cent fit, the better she will be able to cope with that.

"The good omen is that she is able to get fit very quickly without racing, as she showed in winning the New York Marathon last year.

"My only concern would be why she feels the need to talk about this now, which might be an indication that this is more serious than we thought." On hearing of Radcliffe's injury yesterday, Simon Clegg, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, said: "I'm disappointed to hear that is the case. The discussions I've had with UK Athletics give me confidence that it should be addressed well in time for Beijing."

If Radcliffe were forced to pull out of the Beijing Games it would leave a huge gap in an illustrious career. Despite winning World, European and Commonwealth gold medals and recording multiple victories at elite marathons such as London, New York and Chicago, Radcliffe herself feels she has not performed at the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of any athlete's career.

Radcliffe finished fifth in the Olympic 5,000m in 1996, fourth in the 10,000m in 2000 and famously dropped out of the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens.

She said recently: "I still have a big desire to go to the Olympics and run as I'm capable of rather than disappointment from Sydney in 2000, even in Atlanta in 1996 and the huge disappointment from Athens."

Radcliffe is determined to run at London 2012, but she will be 38 and her chance of competing for gold may have passed by then.

Bedford added: "Unless she's 95 per cent of her best form she shouldn't be going to the Olympics. She should remember the next Olympics are in just over four years' time.

"If she can wait and make one more push in 2012, she would also be running an Olympics in her own country and will not be at an age precluding what would be a very exciting challenge for her."