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.