PAULA RADCLIFFE will have a check-up on her current state of fitness today as she battles to compete in the Olympic marathon next month.
The appointment, at the British Olympic Medical Institute at London's Northwick Park, will be the first scheduled by UK Athletics to take place for a progress report since Radcliffe announced her determination to run in Beijing despite suffering a st
ress fracture of the femur.
Radcliffe has been undertaking high intensity training at her French Pyrenees base in Font Romeu – seven weeks after being told by specialists it would be "impossible" to compete in China.
The 34-year-old marathon world record holder is hopeful the tests will reveal positive news as she continues to attend her fourth successive Olympic Games.
Click here to read Yorkshire rower Andy Hodge blog exclusively for the Yorkshire Post.UKA have emphasised the Bedford athlete is under no pressure to make an instant decision – and according to her agent, Sian Masterson, it could be another couple of weeks before she does so.
Meanwhile, Hayley Haining – the nominated reserve – is waiting in the wings and keeping herself fully prepared to step in as a replacement if required for the marathon, which is due to take place on August 17.
British decathlete Dean Macey ruled himself out of Olympic contention after failing to achieve the qualifying standard at a meeting in Hexham.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion, who has achieved fourth-placed finishes at the past two Olympics, admitted he had nothing left to give.
His victory score in the Hexham Combined Events International fell short of the required target as the Canvey Islander could only post a score of 7,491 points.
Macey intended using the Northumberland competition, just as he did to qualify for Athens four years ago, in an aim to reach next month's Olympics.
He was looking for the 8,000 points 'A' standard for Beijing, but eventually fell short even of the 7,700 'B' standard.
Macey sustained a groin injury in Saturday's long jump, the second of the 10 disciplines, which hampered him for the rest of the competition.
It was a battle-weary Macey who jogged the course of the 1,500m at the Tynedale Athletics Park to possibly bring the curtain down on a magnificent career.
Despite failing in his quest for a third Olympic place, Macey was still upbeat, especially after coming from behind to win the weekend's decathlon competition.
"The past two days have been the biggest journey I've been through in my athletics career," said the 30-year-old. "There's no way I could find another 200 or more points in such a short time. I'm out of the equation now."
Stephanie Twell blazed to the IAAF World Championships junior 1,500m title in Bydgodzcz yesterday with her Norwich Union GB team-mate Emma Pallant taking the bronze medal.
Now Twell, who holds the Olympic 'A' qualifying standard, could possibly find herself included in the British team for next month's Games in Beijing.
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