Radcliffe banishes ghosts of Athens in New York

THE talk was of banishing ghosts, gaining redemption and staging a comeback, yet Paula Radcliffe will remember her road back from Olympic disaster to New York triumph most of all for a dodgy eve-of-race plate of spaghetti bolognaise.

It had been just 77 days since Radcliffe went into the Olympic women’s marathon as the hot favourite on the streets of Athens, only to see her dream of a gold medal disappear. She was forced out of the Games through total depletion arising, she discovered later, from the after-effects of a stomach injury.

Yesterday, over 26.2 miles, Radcliffe bounced back with a vengeance, heading the women’s professional field in the ING New York City Marathon from the off and leading from tape to tape in a time of two hours, 23 minutes, 10 seconds.

Yet Radcliffe’s race plans were nearly undone by her choice of restaurant on Saturday night.

“I had a really bad meal last night,” Radcliffe said following her victory. “I had to send the plate back twice to have my spaghetti bolognaise reheated, which was probably not a good idea, and I was up in the middle of night with indigestion.”

Neither Radcliffe nor the men’s winner, Hendrik Ramaala of South Africa, had finished the Olympic marathons in August, but the disappointment had been more keenly felt for the Briton and the women’s world record holder gained absolution when she won in a thrilling finish.

The food was the only thing that appeared to leave a bad taste in the mouth. Redemption and putting Athens behind her was also off Radcliffe’s menu.

“I don’t think anything will make up for what happened,” Radcliffe said, “but in its own right winning in New York is a major achievement.

“I don’t think today was about sending out messages to anyone. Athens was certainly the biggest disappointment I’ve had but it’s always important to come back.”