Radcliffe double would not ease Athens pain

Paula Radcliffe plans to run the marathon and the 10,000 metres at next month's Helsinki world championships but a double success would not make up for her disappointing Olympic performances, the Briton said.

The marathon world record holder attempted both distances at last year's Athens Games but failed to finish either race.

"I don't think anything's going to make up for or change last year," Radcliffe told reporters during a conference call from France where she has been training.

"Last year happened, I'm never going to be happy about it but I've moved on from it and put it behind me.

"It's nothing to do with last year. It was just something that was offered this year by the timetable," said the 31-year-old, who added she had recovered from a back problem.

The 10,000 metres final is on the opening day of the championships on August 6. The marathon is eight days later.

Radcliffe, who had been favourite to win the Olympic marathon title but dropped out after 36 km, said the longer distance was her main objective for the world championships.

"My main focus is the marathon but training's going well and I feel at the moment that if everything continues going according to plan the 10,000 can replace my last session and bring me on well for the marathon.

"The 10,000 is the lesser thing and can be dropped but at the moment I'm hoping I can have a good run out there and move on to the marathon strongly."

Radcliffe's only track titles came in 2002 when she won the 10,000 at the European championships and the 5,000 at the Commonwealth Games but she said she did not think winning the 10,000 in Helsinki was out of the question.

"When I go into any race I try and win it so I wouldn't be putting myself on the line if I didn't think I had a shot at being able to do that."

The Olympic 4x100 metres relay winning quartet of Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish, Darren Campbell and Mark Lewis-Francis were all included in the squad for the event when the British team was announced on Monday.

Campbell, bronze medallist at the last world championships, will not run in the individual 100 after failing to reach the final at the British trials.

Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton will also compete in the long jump.

The British team is without double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes who withdrew last week because of an Achilles injury.