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Global gold at last for Paula On the streets of Helsinki Radcliffe proves she can win races as well as break records
A couple of petals appeared to have blown off Paula Radcliffe’s cloak of invincibility in Athens last August and again, here in Helsinki, during the 10,000m final. It was not the case. Judging by her supremely controlled victory in the marathon on Sunday, she is not ready to wilt just yet. An athlete in full bloom, this gold medal was as hard-earned and impressive as any of her records or world titles on the roads and country. Radcliffe’s time of 2:20:57 put her 64 seconds ahead of defending world champion Catherine Ndereba, of Kenya. It was a championship record, beating Ndereba’s mark from Paris in 2003 by almost three minutes. More than that, it was the fastest time ever set at a major international championship, beating the 2:21:47 that Naoko Takahashi of Japan ran at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998. For good measure, it was also quicker than Emil Zatopek’s 2:23:04 to win the men’s marathon at the Helsinki Olympics of 1952.
Full story in issue 59-33, 17th August 2005.
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PAULA
RADCLIFFE’S physical therapist, Gerard Hartmann, tells a story about
one of the athletes he has treated over the years, Kenya’s world
marathon champion Douglas Wakiihuri, once comparing the marathon to
a rose. The thorns represent problems along the way and the
pricklier the stem, the more beautiful the flower. It is an analogy
that can just as easily be applied to the athletes themselves, not
just the race. 
