Injury setback for Paula Radcliffe as Osaka looks doubtful

Britain\’s Paula Radcliffe, the World Marathon record holder, who recently gave birth to a daughter, Isla, has hinted that she may not run the World Championships in Osaka, due to a back injury picked up as a result of the birth.

The 33-year-old Radcliffe is suffering from a small stress fracture on the left side of her sacrum, a triangular bone at the base of her spine. She said she will not run for three weeks and it could be a further month before she is ready to return to competitive action.

The world record holder for the marathon admitted that the problem was the result of the long labour she endured in giving birth to her daughter, Isla, in January. Radcliffe\’s training in the United States was interrupted by a similar problem on the right side of her spine last month.

She initially referred to that as \“a minor setback\“ but a recurrence of the problem means that she cannot count on being ready to contest the marathon or the 10,000 metres at the World Championships, which start in Osaka at the end of August.

\“This is a setback but I\’m trying to be sensible and do the right thing for the long term. I\’m not happy about it because I\’ve missed racing and I want to be back as soon as possible.\“ said Radcliffe.

She said that while her injury problem was linked to Isla\’s birth, her daughter was \“worth it\“. Radcliffe added: \“The World Championships are important, but not hugely.

\“The priority is the Olympic Games in Beijing and I don\’t see this as my last chance to compete at a World Championships. I\’m definitely not ruling out racing in the summer. It\’s going to happen somewhere. If I\’m back in training by July, it\’s feasible that I can be in Osaka but the next three weeks are pretty crucial. I\’m not going to take huge risks to make sure I\’ll definitely be there but I haven\’t ruled it out. It depends on how much time I end up having to take off.\“

The lack of time means that Radcliffe\’s preferred event for the World Championships would be the 10,000 metres rather than the marathon, but she admitted that she was still seeking advice on how to proceed. There were always fears that Radcliffe would risk injury by returning to her intense training regime too soon after giving birth. She was jogging within 12 days but claimed that she was unaware of the risk.

\“This bone is a high-risk area when you are coming back from pregnancy and I was not aware of that,\“ she said. \“With hindsight, it might have been a good idea to have had a scan after the birth because I did have a long and difficult labour.\“

Radcliffe admitted that before the injury struck, her training had been going well.

\“I could run fast and I was not that far off being able to race.\“

For now, she plans to rest and recuperate in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees, where she and her husband Gary, a former British 1,500m International, have a home.