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I've nothing to prove to anyone but myself - Radcliffe

Paula Radcliffe crosses the line © Getty Images

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Paula Radcliffe insists she is not out to prove her critics wrong as she returns after a 15-month absence from competitive running.

Radcliffe will compete in the Great Manchester Run on May 15, as she feels her way back into action ahead of a possible final tilt in the marathon at London 2012.

The 37-year-old does not enjoy great memories of previous Olympic Games - stopping at the side of the road in Athens in 2004, and finishing 23rd in Beijing four years later after toiling against various injuries. While she wants to return and win races, Radcliffe insists she doesn't feel she has anything still to prove.

"I am still motivated to be the best that I can be but after all that I've been through, particularly Athens, I have become less obsessive about things," Radcliffe told the Daily Mirror. "Having two young children has given me a huge amount of perspective. I look back and I think 'I've had a great career but the most important thing is two healthy kids'."

The memories of Athens still hurt, however - although she insists the general perception of her performance is wrong.

"You learn bigger lessons and you become a stronger person from negatives," she said. "A lot of people said I quit, that I just gave up.

"I saw that I fought really hard and as the race headed uphill 10 kilometres out I was actually running faster than those ahead of me. What I learned was that you are either healthy or you're not. I had been injured beforehand and felt a massive pressure to get over it. But I didn't notice the harm that the anti-inflammatory drugs were doing to my body."

Returning to racing with just over 12 months until the Olympics, Radcliffe believes she will come back with exactly the same hunger to succeed as ever.

"As soon as I stand on the start line I know that adrenalin instinct to go out and be competitive will kick in," she said. "I will want to win like I was never away. But not to prove the doubters wrong, you can't do it for anyone else. To be able to dig that deep - it has to be for you.

"It can't ever be about proving people wrong or sticking up two fingers."

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