t-and-f: Paula Radcliffe

[Bob Duncan]

I say once again...Paula Radcliffe, Athlete of the Year!

bob

t-and-f: Paula Radcliffe writes...........

[Eamonn Condon]

The Electronic Telegraph
Monday 13 August 2001


Staying silent will not halt cheats
By Paula Radcliffe

IN THE end, nothing stopped Olga Yegorova from winning the 5,000 metres
title in the World Championships on Saturday - not the drug testers, the
Russian athletics federation or even her own conscience. It was left to the
athletes to make a stand.

A great deal of consideration went into my protest on Friday against
Yegorova's decision to compete in spite of her positive test for EPO.
Eventually, I decided that the time had come to speak out against the drug
cheats who threaten the very essence of my sport.

Athletics has a huge following all over the world but that interest will
wither if fans cannot believe in the competitors they watch. Instead of a
roar when Yegorova crossed the line, there was a strange hush in the
stadium. By keeping silent, we honest athletes could be accused of condoning
drug taking.

There is a risk in rocking the boat and I realise that I could become a
target for those who have something to hide. That will not stop me. The
reaction I have had from other athletes since the protest has been
supportive.

We had no choice but to act if even Yegorova's national federation were
unprepared to withdraw her from the race. The Russians did nothing to stop
an athlete of theirs, tainted by drugs, from competing.

I really feel for the girls who finished behind Yegorova. Missing out on a
gold medal in the World Championships is dreadful. When the champion has
failed a drugs test, defeat must be heart-breaking.

We should not be surprised that Yegorova ran such a confident race. By the
time she was on the track she had already faced down a barrage of criticism.
If she is able to live with herself having taken EPO, then she was always
going to be able to handle the pressure from other people.

Maybe, in her own mind, she can justify it to herself. No amount of worry or
embarrassment stopped her from going out there.

Watching the race was not easy, but I did hope that perhaps someone could
beat her. The German Irina Mikitenko and the Ethiopian Ayelech Worku ran
well and the Chinese girl Yanmei Dong tried to take the race on. But maybe
at the back of their minds they never believed they could do it.

When you go out there to compete and put yourself on the line it has to be
something you believe in. In order for me to be happy with myself, I had to
be honest and say what I thought. It would have done no one any good had we
all just sat quietly in the stands.

The games in Edmonton have been more about drug scandals than the racing,
that's why I didn't try and push the point. I just wanted to make a
statement and put my view across to the IAAF, but not to take over from the
performances on the track.

If the IAAF do not act swiftly they will risk a situation where there are
two separate sports. There will be one sport for all the athletes who take
drugs and another for those who want to stay clean.

In a time of such medical advances we have the capability to design a
reliable and comprehensive testing system. At the moment it is one step
behind the cheats. I accept it is expensive but the IAAF have more than
enough money to keep fighting the battle on drugs. They must be certain they
are prepared to invest in the future of sport.

Yegorova and I will see each other again on Friday at the Golden League
event in Zurich. I want nothing to do with her but I would like to know why
she did it. The best way to handle this will be to get my head down, run
hard and beat her. From now on the IAAF will be keeping an eye on her
performances.

The gold medal will stay with Yegorova, but I would like to think that my
actions have made it easier for athletes to speak out against drugs. In the
past people have not stood up and said something because they were never
sure just how serious an issue it was.

Athletes preferred to believe the best in other people, or that they were
powerless to do anything about it. Now, hopefully, we have realised it is
the athletes' sport and if we all stand together something will be done.

Paula Radcliffe is a spokesperson for the Norwich Union GB Athletics Team

Eamonn Condon
www.RunnersGoal.com

t-and-f: Paula Radcliffe writes.........

[Eamonn Condon]

The Electronic Telegraph
Wednesday 8 August 2001


I got the timing all wrong
By Paula Radcliffe


I CAN'T help but feel anger and frustration when I look back at the World
Championship 10,000 metres final.

I came here in shape to run very fast.

In Seville and Sydney, I came off the track feeling as if I'd run as hard as
I could. Here, I feel as if I ran hard for only part of the race. It feels
such a waste.

I discussed tactics with a lot of people and the general view was that I
couldn't win from the front. That's why I opted for running in the pack
until the time was right to inject some real speed. The trouble was that I
should have made a definite decision on where in the race that would be.

In the end, I tried to make a break with four laps to go. From my races this
summer, I knew I was capable of running as fast as anyone in the field over
1500m and 3,000m.

I don't know why I left it as late as I did but I followed my instincts and
went when I felt the time was right. It was hard to stay back for so long
and after a while I stopped looking at the clock as we were running so
slowly. The mental energy involved in running in a group is different to
when you are in front dictating things. After a race won in 31min 48.81sec I
should not have been tired, but I was mentally wiped out.

For the first 5,000m I didn't do anything wrong and I could see how my
tactic was unsettling the Ethiopians, as I had planned. I started to make a
move with eight laps to go but the pace began to surge and I decided against
it. Maybe I was over-confident about being able to run hard enough over the
last four laps to make a difference. In my mind, I wanted to make sure I
could be competitive over the last lap.

I ran hard but the Ethiopians were quicker over the final 400m. I missed the
gold medal by only a second and a bit but that's a long time.

After the race, I saw the scoreboard list me as third only for it to change
a moment later. That only added to my frustration.

The incident with Gary was just a little bit of a misunderstanding. I knew
he was right and that's probably why I reacted the way I did. It was another
lesson learned and now I have to put it behind me.

The world half-marathon in Bristol gives me something to focus on and then
there is the London Marathon next April. But this is not the end of my
ambitions on the track. I'll be in Paris in 2003.

Paula Radcliffe is a spokesperson for the Norwich Union GB athletics team


Eamonn Condon
www.RunnersGoal.com