Paula Radcliffe To Face Tough 1500m Field
Posted Tuesday, 31 May, 2005
Paula Radcliffe will face a top-class field when she steps down in distance to race over 1,500m this weekend in the United States.
The world marathon record-holder, combining a business trip to Oregon where Nike technicians will work on her running shoes for the forthcoming season, jumped at the opportunity to race in Eugene on Saturday.
"It's a meeting I always wanted to compete in," said Radcliffe, who has flown out to the United States from her French training base at Font Romeau in the French Pyrenees.
Radcliffe will be in august company at the Pre-Classic, with a total of 35 World Championships and Olympic medallists entered in the meet, 16 of whom have won Games gold medals.
Race director Tom Jordan has ensured Radcliffe, a specialist over 5,000 and 10,000m, will face a top-class field which is headed by Tatyana Tomashova, the Russian beaten for the Olympic 1,500m gold medal by Kelly Holmes in Athens.
2003 winner Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia, Olympic bronze medallist over 800m, will compete over the longer distance, while Canada's Malindi Elmore and Kate Vermuelen, Mestawat Tadesse and Meskerem Legesse of Ethiopia, also compete.
Adding to the international flavour will be Australia's Suzy Walsham, while Shayne Culpepper, Carrie Tollefson, and Jen Toomey carry US hopes.
Radcliffe has not raced over the distance for four years but among such a class field should be in shape to better her personal best of four minutes 05.37seconds, despite it being the early stages of the season.
Article from www.sportinglife.com
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