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Radcliffe wins 'comeback' award
Marathon runner scoops honour at prestigious Laureus Awards
PAULA RADCLIFFE has won the 'best comeback' prize at the Laureus World Sports Awards in St Petersburg, Russia.
The 34-year-old made her comeback to racing in the autumn last year after two years absence to give birth to her first child and to recover from a stress fracture of the lower back.
She made her return at the BUPA Great North Run in September where she finished second to Kara Goucher of the USA, then five weeks later she won the ING New York City Marathon.
Ed Moses, the former 400m hurdles star and current Laureus World Sports Academy chairman said: “Paula is renowned as a great fighter. She is a runner I admire enormously for her determination and her commitment.
"When someone is out of running for two years when they are in their 30s you do wonder if they are going to be able to come back as fit and as strong, but Paula certainly showed she was when she won in New York. I wish her all the best for the Beijing Olympics.”
The other nominees were Britain's 400m world champion Christine Ohuruogu, Australian 400 metres hurdler Jana Rawlinson, US golfer Steve Stricker, England rugby player Jonny Wilkinson and the Great Britain rugby league team.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the only global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by 43 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a collection of the world’s greatest sportsmen and women.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present at the ceremony were: Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Sergey Bubka, Nadia Comaneci, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Kip Keino and Mark Spitz.
Among the guests in St Petersburg were Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall, Cuba Gooding Junior, Dennis Hopper and Kyle Maclachlan; Russian President Vladimir Putin, Formula One runner-up Lewis Hamilton along with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, new England football coach Fabio Capello, tennis world number one Roger Federer, Paralympic ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.
Tennis players Roger Federer and Justine Henin won the main sportsman and sportswoman of the year awards.
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