Beijing beckons for Radcliffe?

Paula Radcliffe's agent has revealed the runner is training at "high intensity" in a bid to make the marathon start line in Beijing.

Radcliffe's participation was placed in doubt by a stress fracture of the femur in her left thigh.

But Sian Masterton said: "Paula is back running. She is training at high intensity and the goal is very much to be in Beijing."

However, she stressed that the 34-year-old marathon world-record-holder would not compete, "unless she's confident she is in shape to do well".

Radcliffe withdrew from the 2008 London Marathon because of a toe injury and then the hip problem followed with scans in May revealing a stress fracture.

Masterson said: "Paula will include more cross-training than usual to compliment the running in her programme but, as ever, she will not give any more specific details of what she is doing training-wise."

She added: "My gut feel is that she will not decide in the next couple of weeks about whether to go to Beijing as she needs to give herself as much time as possible."

Radcliffe is keen to make up for the disappointment of Athens 2004 when she was the pre-race favourite but was forced to withdraw at the 23 mile mark.

Her attempt to secure a medal in the 10,000 metres a few days later also ended in failure as she dropped out of the final eight laps from the end.

Since then, Racliffe has won 2005 London Marathon, struck gold at the 2005 World Athletics Championships and won the 2007 New York Marathon, just 11 months after the birth of her first child.

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