• London Olympics 2012

Radcliffe admits London 2012 injury concern

ESPN staff
July 4, 2012
Paula Radcliffe has a foot problem © Getty Images
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Paula Radcliffe, holder of the women's marathon world record, admits she is not 100 per cent sure if she will be able to compete at London 2012.

Radcliffe has been troubled by injury throughout her career, and she currently finds herself nursing a degenerative foot problem. She had hoped the injury would not cause serious issue ahead of the Olympic Games, but right now there is concern within her camp.

The 38-year-old has been feeling pain over recent weeks and is travelling to Germany in order to see a specialist. Having finished 23rd at Beijing in 2008, Radcliffe is currently unsure if she will be able to better that in London.

"It is a worn out joint," she is quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. "I had an old injury back in 1994 and since then the joint is degenerative and the more I run or walk on it, the worse it is going to get.

"There is always going to be a point when I just can't do it anymore and it is just about managing it. I need to be able to run as much as I can before the Olympics so it would be good to not be in agony after I have finished training.

"[Injuries are] something that I have lived with for the last 18 years and I know it goes in cycles. I was just hoping that it wasn't going to have its next little flip out until after the Olympics."

"I always knew that at some point my body is going to say I can't do it anymore but I just hope and pray that it's not just yet."

Radcliffe's last outing saw her record the worst half marathon time of her career in Vienna.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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