Athletics: Paula Radcliffe in 'disastrous' comeback

Paula Radcliffe branded her long-awaited comeback following an 18-month absence on the streets of London yesterday afternoon a "disaster" - and revealed she had suffered yet another injury setback.

The marathon world record holder could only finish third in the Bupa London 10,000, with a torn disc in her back keeping her off the pace.

The road race followed much of the route of next year's Olympic marathon course, on which Radcliffe will be looking to crown her career by winning gold. But she finished well behind fellow 37-year-old Jo Pavey, and Gemma Steel, a 25-year-old who has never run for Britain.

"For me it was a bit of a disaster," said a visibly upset Radcliffe, who clocked 33 minutes 17 seconds, 55 seconds behind Pavey and 29 adrift of Steel. Her 10km world record is 30mins 21secs.

She added: "It's really frustrating as I've been training hard since January so I should be in so much better shape. At 4km I just started to go backwards. I've got a tear in one of the discs in my back which has meant I can't go on the track, but I thought I was going to be fine on the road.

"It's sciatic pain and I lose power in my legs. But I don't want to make excuses. I thought it was going to be better."