Paula Radcliffe loses funding but will not retire

News that several high profile UK athletes would lose government funding made the rounds Monday morning.

Perhaps the most well known of these athletes is marathoning great Paula Radcliffe.

A shift in UK Sport funding policies has eliminated Radcliffe and others who have not performed at the highest level of their sport from being eligible for support from the lottery fund.

Radcliffe took to Twitter today to address the announcement, and assured her supporters that she would not be retiring.

The 38-year-old was set to compete in this year’s Olympic marathon, but a lingering foot injury forced her to pull out of the race.

In fact, speaking to ESPNW earlier in October during festivities at the Chicago Marathon, Radcliffe revealed that she did fear her career was over. But she opted for surgery after bowing out of the Olympics and her recovery does seem to be going well. The world record holder hopes to make a comeback next year.

The World Class Performance Programme had been funding athletes that could place within the top eight in their sport. The reduction means that only those with a podium finish will receive funding.

The fund typically provides a stipend of between 13,000 and 26,000 pounds ($20,300-$40,900).

Radcliffe indicated via Twitter that she actually never took advantage of the funding program, with the exception of medical treatment.

As one of the winningest marathoners in history, Radcliffe perhaps does not need the funding anyhow. She has won New York three times, London three times and Chicago once, as well as placing 3rd in Berlin and fourth in New York in 2009. Each major marathon win would have netted her a substantial cash prize, as well as appearance fees and record setting bonuses.

Her Twitter comments addressed the funding cut as well as her current physical state, saying, “Retirement is definitely not in any plans! I’m not doing all this cross training and getting this foot healthy and strong for nothing!”

Neil Black, who is the performance director of UK Athletics, told the Telegraph newspaper, “”The selection panel talked it through in reasonable detail and didn’t feel it was possible to suggest that Paula was a genuine medal prospect for Rio.”

Black continued, addressing Radcliffe’s recent foot surgery and the prospects of her being competitive at the 2013 world marathon championship. “She has undergone recent surgery and is in the middle of a rehabilitation period for a substantial problem, though a problem she can recover from, and therefore the possibility of performing in Moscow next year is uncertain and challenging.”

Radcliffe dominated the major marathon circuit for many years. Her greatest achievement was her world record run in London, where she clocked a 2:15:25 in 2003. That time remains a seemingly untouchable record.

Radcliffe has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, however, and was told by doctors this year after re-injuring a degenerating joint in her foot that she may never run again. She still hopes to recover in time to compete at a spring marathon in 2013.

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