PAULA Radcliffe's withdrawal from next month's Flora London Marathon with a foot injury is a tremendous blow to her ambition to win a fourth title in the capital.
But the identification of a toe tendon injury five months before the Olympic marathon is vital as Radcliffe bids to erase the disappointment of dropping out during the race at the last Games in 2004.
UK Athletics, although they offered commiserat
ions to Radcliffe over missing her favourite event on 13 April, will welcome the 34-year-old's withdrawal in favour of ensuring she will be fully fit for the Beijing Games.
The governing body, with future world-class performance funding for their athletes based on achievement, rightly regard Radcliffe as one of their few genuine medal shots in the Chinese capital.
UKA's performance director Dave Collins admitted yesterday he was relieved the world-record holder was being cautious rather than pursue a big pay day at the annual London event.
"Obviously I know this will be a big disappointment for Paula given her past success at the London Marathon," said Collins, speaking from the World Indoor Championships, which take place in Valencia this weekend.
"But Paula is a highly experienced athlete and I am sure she will have thought long and hard before reaching this very difficult decision.
"It would not have been an easy one for her."
Collins, who will lead Team GB into his first Olympic Games, now hopes Radcliffe will make full use of the first-class British Olympic Association medical facilities available in London on her return from her North American training base.
Radcliffe played down the seriousness of the injury to her right toe, describing it as "minor" to London Marathon organisers and is adamant she will be fully recovered in time for the Olympic marathon which takes place through the streets of Beijing on 15 August.
But memories of how she arrived for the last Olympics in Athens injured still linger and her conscientious attitude in missing London shows the importance of atoning for her 'Greek tragedy' when she failed to finish the race in such sad circumstances.
"I'm desperately disappointed that I have to pull out of this year's race," said Radcliffe, who has been training since early January in Albuquerque in the United States, apart from a brief visit to Europe.
It is known that a few weeks ago she made a fleeting visit for treatment in Germany before returning to her altitude base in New Mexico.
Radcliffe has many happy memories of London where she made a winning debut in 2002 and then 12 months later stormed to her still unassailable world record of 2hrs 25mins 15 secs.
Radcliffe admitted: "I love running in London and this race would have been the perfect test for me before the Olympic Games.
"But in marathon training there are no short cuts and there is simply not enough time to be in the shape I want to be in to run well in London.
"Now I must concentrate on being as well prepared as possible for Beijing."
Race director David Bedford said: "Of course, it is a major blow to lose Paula from this year's race, but we understand that her priority in 2008 is to be in peak condition for the Olympic Games and we wish her all the best for a speedy return to full fitness.
"Even without Paula we will still have a very strong international women's field and I am sure the race will be as exciting as ever."
The women's line-up includes the World Marathon Majors champion Gete Wami, of Ethiopia, the reigning Chicago champion and Ethiopian record holder Berhane Adere, Romania's record holder Constantina Tomescu-Dita, and the veteran Russian, Svetlana Zakharova.
There is still considerable British interest, too, in the battle between Hayley Haining and Liz Yelling for a place in the Great Britain Olympic marathon team, to join Radcliffe and Japan-based Mara Yamauchi.
The full article contains 667 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
