Paula Radcliffe settles for third in Berlin (© Getty Images)
Paula Radcliffe, the World record holder in the Marathon, has been selected to compete on her fifth Olympic team, UK Athletics and the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced today.
Radcliffe, along with Scott Overall and Mara Yamauchi are the first athletes from the sport of athletics officially selected for next summer's Olympic Games in London. All three will compete in the Marathon.
The trio achieved the UKA ‘A’ qualifying standard during 2011. Radcliffe’s time of 2:23:46 at the Berlin Marathon was inside the ‘A’ qualifying standard of two hours and 31 minutes. The race in the German capital was Radcliffe's second contest this year following time away from the sport after having her second child.
The 37-year-old’s inclusion to Team GB makes Radcliffe the third British athletics competitor to be selected for five Olympic Games, following in the footsteps of Tessa Sanderson and Chris Maddocks, and she will be the first to compete in three Marathons.
Radcliffe is joined by Yamauchi, who achieved the qualifying standard at the Yokohama Marathon last month, when she clocked a time of 2:27:24. Yamauchi, who finished sixth at 2008 Beijing Olympics, is the second fastest British woman over the Marathon distance this year behind Radcliffe.
Overall is the sole male representative selected to date, following his excellent Marathon debut in Berlin. The 28-year-old met the ‘A’ standard when he finished fifth, in a time of 2:10:55. The Londoner comes from a 5000m background but successfully swapped the track for the roads during 2011.
A second round of Team GB Marathon selections for the Olympic Games will take place following the Virgin London Marathon in April 2012.
UK Athletics for the IAAF
