Radcliffe 'was Not Injured'

Paula Radcliffe's failure to add the Olympic marathon crown to her collection of achievements was not due to injury, the British team confirmed today.

Speculation had been rife that Radcliffe, who stepped out of the race in tears after slipping into a distant fourth position with less than half an hour of running to go, was suffering from some sort of ailment - possibly a calf strain.

The world record holder would not make any comment to the press - she is due to give a press conference this afternoon - but British team spokeswoman Emily Lewis said the distance queen had been in apparent good condition approaching yesterday's race.

"She was not injured," the spokeswoman said. "We don't know what it was. She is seeing a doctor again this morning and then maybe we may be able to give a more definite reason."

Radcliffe, the pre-race favourite, would only say she was "devastated". It is possible she may still decide to run the 10,000 metres, which is being held on Friday. "No decision has been taken on the 10,000 metres," the team spokeswoman said.

Radcliffe led in that event four years ago before being overhauled with a lap to go, to finish in eventual fourth. She also missed out on gold in the track's longest event at the 1999 world championships, finishing in second, but her move up to the marathon, where she has been dominant, meant she was the clear front-runner to take gold here.

In the event she failed to cope with the intense heat of the Athens afternoon, and saw Japan's Mizuki Noguchi take the honours in her stead.