Radcliffe says fit for Beijing marathon

Britain's Paula Radcliffe said yesterday she hoped to race in the Beijing Olympics marathon despite suffering from a stress fracture to her left femur.

Radcliffe, the women's marathon world record holder who has never won an Olympic medal, said she was "taking it day by day".

"I'm feeling good. I am happy to be here and to have got this far and I'm looking forward to starting the marathon," she told the BBC in Beijing, where she arrived to join the British Olympic team earlier yesterday.

Radcliffe, 34, won the world championships marathon in 2005, but failed to finish at the Athens Olympics four years ago when she was among the pre-race favourites.

Specialists had said the stress fracture to Radcliffe's left femur would make it impossible for her to compete in Beijing, but the runner said yesterday she hoped her dedication to intensive cross-training over the past few months would pay off.

"I want to go to the (start) line knowing that I can go out there and do myself justice and run well," she said of the marathon event, which is scheduled for August 17.

"That's what the Olympics is all about."