Athletics: Radcliffe Likely to Pull Out

Paula Radcliffe is unlikely to take up the option of competing for a 10,000 metres medal because she has not recovered fully from her traumatic marathon experience.

After dropping out in tears after 36 kilometres on Sunday, she had considered an audacious attempt to bounce back in the 25-lap race on Friday. But after consulting medical experts, Radcliffe will probably concentrate instead on recovering fully from the debilitating effects of the marathon.

Radcliffe's parents, who are present at all her major races, are thought to be returning to Britain in advance of a formal announcement. A decision not to run will be welcomed by a number of Britain's former top runners who had been urging her to err on the side of caution.

"If she was going to run the 10,000m without having done the marathon it would have been a really tough task," said Brendan Foster. "Now she is physically and emotionally broken. If she recovered physically, which could happen, I would still hope wisdom would prevail. She has nothing to gain. If she goes through another experience like she did in the marathon, she may never recover."

Steve Jones, the former marathon world record holder, suffered a similar experience at the European championships in 1986 when he blew up spectacularly after leading the race by three minutes. "What's the point in running with the chance of not performing to her best?" he said. "If she wants to do it, then OK, but there's plenty more running left in her life."