It was about winning the most sought-after title in the world.""Whatever she is thinking, Paula must not turn her back on the marathon.. It isn't easy being the front-runner for most of the race, which she was."You also have to remember this was a different kind of race for her."It wasn't about chasing world records. Dick, who was among the crowd, said: "I think even she will have felt the pressure of the tactics put into place against her. Her opponents will have just hung in and watched what she was going to do.

There is no doubt about that, because everybody would feel for Paula."Wells, Olympic 100m champion from 1980, said: "It's going to be difficult for them, but the athletes have their own thing to do."The former British athletics director Frank Dick said the 30-year-old was targeted by her opponents. Maybe she underestimated the course."The British 110m hurdles world record holder Colin Jackson and sprinter Alan Wells suggested Radcliffe's decision to quit may have a negative effect on the British team's morale.Jackson said: "It is very disappointing because she was one of the people we had backed to win a medal." Jackson said."Generally everyone is pretty flat now. "But we had Olympic phobia constantly present in our preparations." This was a reference to the Sydney hangover but also, effectively, an admission of mental weaknesses on the biggest stage."We need a stronger coach development programme offering greater depth of experience to coaches and to include, as a priority, big-meet psychology development," he said. She finished in 29th place with a time of 2:41.00, four places behind Britain's third runner Liz Yelling, who clocked 2:40.13.Morris was a relieved figure at the end, having recovered from a back injury which had put her participation in doubt. "But God was with me."Bronze went to Deena Kastor, of the United States, who overtook Alemu on the approach to the stadium and finished in 2:27.20.Tracey Morris, who earned an Olympic appearance by cutting an hour off her personal best at the last London Marathon, achieved her own more realistic ambition of lasting the course. And after all the iced baths, and the 160-mile-a-week training runs, and the special circulation-stimulating socks, and the frozen vests, and the monastic training regimes in Font Romeu ­ and latterly southern Spain ­ of eat, run, sleep, eat, run, sleep, the finest female marathon runner was ultimately vulnerable.As she sat distraught by the verge Radcliffe turned to look at the television camera which was, inevitably, looking right back at her. The Kenyan had appeared to struggle in the early stages but eventually clocked 2:26.32 "The conditions were tough," she said.

The world was watching as she reacquainted herself with the persona she thought her long string of victories on track and road had banished ­ that of the gallant British loser.Noguchi was followed by Ndereba on to the dark, narrow track looped inside the marble steps of the stadium that hosted the 1896 Games. Peters failed to finish at the 1952 Games after being passed by the eventual winner, Emil Zatopek. Elfenesh Alemu responded, and Radcliffe dug in to try and hold on to a medal position, briefly overtaking the Ethiopian. Twice she made faltering attempts to restart, responding to some deep and futile instinct.On the first occasion, she stopped to hang on to a barrier; on the second she finally accepted her fate before slumping inconsolably at the roadside.Like that other British marathon runner who had gone into the Olympics as a world record holder, Jim Peters, Radcliffe had discovered the cruel truth that everything is different when it comes to the Games. But soon Catherine Ndereba, the woman whose world record Radcliffe surpassed in 2002, had put her back in bronze medal place. It was at the point where Alemu came past her once again that something seemed to break inside the British runner.Alongside the red 36km marker, she slowed to a halt, putting her hand to her head, her face a mask of misery and exhaustion.

She nevertheless remained in the leading group of seven as they reached the halfway point in 1:14.02, in the early stages of the grinding climb between 11 and 19 miles.It was there that the Japanese runner, last year's world silver medallist, made her break after being escorted to the crucial point by both her teammates. He overcame them, and McGee, inspired by a burst of Oasis's "Champagne Supernova" on his iPod Expect the rematch in the team event to be effervescent.. Paula Radcliffe's entrance to the Panathinaiko Stadium was not supposed to have been like this. "But that was all part of the sacrifice," he said, "to be in what had to be the form of my life."On Saturday, Wiggins said, the pre-race nerves were "horrible". "That was a bit of a shock for everyone."After working with Boardman, Wiggins made winning Olympic gold his priority, meaning his own road racing career, with the Credit Agricole team, has been playing second fiddle.