Athletics has lost friends faster than Abi Titmuss
lost her inhibitions.
Drug tests. Failed drug tests. Runners winning
Olympic gold despite officials knowing they had failed
drug tests. Designer drugs. EPO. All good clean fun,
isn’t it?
If it wasn’t for Paula Radcliffe, British athletics
would be a laughing stock right now.
Kelly Holmes, one of the few other athletes of who we
can be proud, is injured again and heading towards
retirement faster than our sprinters head for the
finishing line. Just a few weeks ago Britain’s men were
relegated from Europe’s top flight for the first time.
Ranked below Poland and on a par with Denmark. And
Norway. And
Austria.
Sprinting in this country is at its lowest level for 30
years. Yes, Britain won 4x100m relay gold in Athens
blah-di-blah, but who cares that we can play pass the
parcel quicker than the Yanks
Winning that one race conveniently hides the fact there
was no British athlete in the Olympic 100m or 200m final
for the first time since 1976.
Middle distance running is a joke and don’t get me
started on the field events. Phillips Idowu is regarded
as the great young hope, but we still have images of him
crashing out of the Olympics when failing to land a
single legitimate triple jump.
Great hope? Some hope. It’s hard to see how Britain will
make any sort of mark on next week’s world championships
Radcliffe apart. She heads to Helsinki with her
reputation restored, but with bookies still mindful of
her roadside collapse in the Greek capital last year.
Radcliffe started that day as the Overwhelming ~
favourite. With all the pre-race rumours surrounding
herfitness, coupled with the fact it was run on a
blazing hot day with soaring humidity, you begin to
realise what shocking value that was. is 11-10 to win
the world title in Finland.
That’s 11-10 to win a race run on a course which could
have been designed for her and in conditions she should
find ideal. As opposed to the 4-9 to win a race in
unbearable heat in which she carried an injury. Now
where would you rather put your money?
Fit and well, Radcliffe should walk ‘the marathon (you
know what I mean) and that 11-10 might yet be made to
look mighty large. Perhaps her biggest obstacle is her
plan to tackle to 10,000 metres just a few days before.
As she puts every ounce of effort into every single
race, there is a possibility she will burn herself out
before what makes see as her main objective.
William Hill make her 6-1 to win the 10,000 and 12-1 to
claim gold in both that event and the marathon.
There are worse bets.
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