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Radcliffe ready to defend her New York title

ATHLETICS MARATHON: PAULA RADCLIFFE will defend her New York Marathon title next Sunday after overcoming recent injuries.

Tue Oct 27 2009 - 00:00

ATHLETICS MARATHON:PAULA RADCLIFFE will defend her New York Marathon title next Sunday after overcoming recent injuries.

The former world marathon champion – who turns 36 in December – missed the World Championships in Berlin with injury and withdrew from the world half marathon due to tonsilitis, but has confirmed she will line up with the 40,000 other runners at the start line in New York.

“I’m looking forward to running really well in New York,” she said. “After the races I’ve missed I’m going to be really grateful to be there.”

Radcliffe held off Gete Wami in a thrilling sprint finish to win her second New York Marathon last November. The English runner twice tried and failed to shake off the Ethiopian as the race reached its climax, before the 2004 winner put in a final burst to finish in two hours, 23 minutes and nine seconds.

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And Radcliffe believes she can win the race for a third time. “I’m pleased with how the training has gone. I wouldn’t be putting myself on the line if I didn’t think that I could go to New York and win it.

“I really enjoy racing. It is something I love doing. Getting the chance to do that and to prolong my career for as long as possible is what I really want to do.

“The hard thing Im finding now is that my body is nearly 36 but my mind still feels like it did when I was 18 and probably will still always feel like that, so I just have to be more sensible about how I do the training and the recovery.”

Radcliffe is still dreaming of Olympic glory in front of a home crowd in three years.

“My intention is totally to be there in 2012, to be on that team competing in an amazing opportunity at the Olympics. That is definitely written in there and hopefully the family will be there supporting me and cheering me on.”

The chief executive of UK Athletics says he wants British athletes to win 10 medals at the London Olympics.

Not since Tokyo in 1964 has Britain won 10 or more athletics medals in a boycott-free Games.

“We have to aim for the best weve ever done at our home Games,” said Niels de Vos. “I’m perfectly happy to put a target out there that’s aspirational.

“We should be aiming to get a better return than we’ve had in past Olympics.”