Radcliffe Returns in Style

Fifty-four days before the Olympics open, Paula Radcliffe served notice she was back to her best with another record-breaking performance at the European Cup in the WKS Zawisza stadium in Poland yesterday.

There was no sign of the injury and health problems that have dogged her for most of the last year as she won the 5,000 metres in 14min 29.11sec, the ninth British track record of her career and the third fastest in history.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to save Britain's women's team from the embarrassment of being relegated from the Super League for the first time in the competition's 39-year history after finishing bottom in the eight-team event.

The men, meanwhile, saw a sixth victory in 15 years snatched away from them in the final event of the two-day competition when Chris Rawlinson fell during the 4x400m relay and the team finished only fifth.

Britain would still have won if Mark Lewis-Francis had not been disqualified for a false start on Saturday in the 100m, failing to score a point in an event where he was the overwhelming favourite. Even if Lewis-Francis had finished third, Britain would have ended the competition ahead of the eventual winners Germany instead of fourth.

But the most important thing is that Radcliffe's performance reassured everyone she is again the athlete who in 2002 and the first part of 2003 dominated the sport, twice setting world records for the marathon, the event she is planning to run in the Olympics.

She said she had wanted to ask herself some questions in her first race on the track since winning the European 10,000m title in Munich nearly two years ago and she will have liked the answers she received.

"It was important to me to come out and run well and show how well I'm going," said Radcliffe. "I knew I was in good shape but there are always doubts in training. But once I got on the track I felt much better."

So good was Radcliffe's performance it was more than 15 seconds quicker than Barnsley's John Mayock had run when he won the corresponding men's event on Saturday.

The only women to have run quicker were Elvan Abeyleg-esse, the Ethiopian now representing Turkey, who set a world record earlier this month of 14.24.68, and China's Biang Jo.

"I was hoping to run a world record until the time in Norway," said Radcliffe. "I've missed racing and I'm pleased to be back on the track because it brings out the best in me. But it's important to keep an eye on the big picture, which is Athens, and everything is a stepping stone towards that."

Radcliffe's performance was the equivalent of England bringing on David Beckham when they were already 5-0 down because, by the time she lined up for the 5,000m, Britain already knew they were relegated.

Little right went from the moment Ashia Hansen was injured during the first event of the competition.

"Everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong," said Max Jones, UK Athletics performance director. In contrast to the previous day, when there had been six British male victories, including Rawlinson in the 400m hurdles for a record third time, the only winner yesterday was Christian Malcolm, who underlined his credentials as an Olympic contender when he won the 200m in 20.56.