Foot injury may spell end for Paula Radcliffe

World marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe is facing up to the very real possibility she may never compete again because of ongoing complications with her foot injury.

The 39-year-old was forced to pull out of the 2012 Olympics shortly before the Games, despite having had specialist treatment in Germany in July. Radcliffe underwent surgery in August when it emerged her foot problems were more serious than first thought and it was then she entertained a future without competition.

However, she still had hopes of participating in a ten-kilometre race, as well as the 2014 London Marathon, but now she knows she may never compete again. Radcliffe told BBC Sport: “Targets have gone out of the window. I have a little window of hope and I would rather be able to finish my career in a race, rather than a race I can’t actually get to the start line of.”

The 39-year-old has endured severe pain and complications in her left foot for 18 years, but despite that she became world marathon champion in 2005 and twice won the world 
cross-country title. Next month marks the tenth anniversary of her world record, a mark which still stands today, when she completed the London Marathon in two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.

Following the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from London only days before the marathon, Radcliffe targeted the World Cross-Country Championships which took place in Poland last weekend.

In December, that was revised to a 10km race in the spring, but she admitted today she feared then she may never run again, even recreationally. She said: “I’ve not even been able to run after the kids in the last few months.

I am always going to want to keep competing and keep getting out there. I would love to be able to run a couple more marathons before I finish.

“At the same time I would still like to have a healthy foot in 20 years’ time.”