Proud of Paula

By Sarah Holt

RADCLIFFE'S REWARDS IN 2005 17 March: Wins third London Marathon title in 2:17:42 18 June: Wins 3,000m for Great Britain at European Cup 14 August: Takes world championship gold in the marathon in 2:20:57 16 October: Wins women's race at Nike 10km in Hyde Park 22 October: Named British Athletics Writers' Association Female Athlete of the Year

Paula Radcliffe has a habit of proving people wrong - and in 2005, she did it in spectacular fashion once again.

Just 12 months after dropping out of the Athens Olympic marathon in tears, the 32-year-old Briton stormed to marathon gold at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.

To her father, Peter, her resurgence came as no surprise.

Having watched his daughter go from finishing 299th at the English Schools cross country championships to winning the world junior cross title a few years later, Radcliffe is more aware than anyone else of her fierce determination to succeed.

"Winning the gold medal was very important to Paula," Peter told BBC Sport.

"She wanted to do it to prove that she could - and she did.

"This season has been successful for Paula for the same reasons that most seasons have been.

"She picks her targets clearly, she focuses on them and she works extremely hard and professionally to get herself to maximum fitness on the right day."

Paula first began running when she joined her father for short stretches of his training runs as he prepared for marathons of his own in the early 1980s.

This early enthusiasm led to her going down to her local athletics club aged just nine.

Radcliffe won the world junior cross country title at her second attempt

When Peter's job took the Radcliffe family to Bedford, Paula immediately joined the town's club - and her association with long-term coaches Alec and Rosemary Stanton began.

"Paula did start running with me, but the real inspiration for her was that she discovered she loved doing it," Peter recalled.

"We encouraged her and could see that she had a talent for it, but the awareness of how great that talent was only came over time.

"There were lots of people around who were as good as Paula was in her teens.

"But the moment we knew she was absolutely world class was when she was 18 and won the world junior cross country title.

"When you realise you can do that, then you can go out and be a senior world champion."

Paula went on to claim consecutive senior world cross country titles in 2001 and 2002, but a series of heart-breaking defeats saw her denied a gold at the World championships until last summer.

At the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville, she took 10,000m silver after being out-kicked on the last lap by Gete Wami, while at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the Worlds in Edmonton in 2001 she agonisingly finished fourth after a characteristic display of front-running.

But in Helsinki, watched by both her parents, Paula put the misery of those defeats - and Athens - behind her by claiming that elusive gold with a dominant display in the marathon.

"Paula had my wife and I stationed around the course so we could shout information on the race to her," said Peter.

The example that Paula sets is one of sheer professionalism, dedication and the rewards that can bring Peter Radcliffe

"Winning gold was important for her, but it was also a special moment for athletics in this country as it was the only gold that we won at the championships.

"I felt the big challenge for her was doing the string of marathons together - New York in November, London in April and Helsinki in August.

"Doing three in such a short space of time is not something to be trifled with but she was confident she could do it - and she did."

While Paula is providing inspiration on the track, her father is working to ensure that the next generation of athletes are able to continue his daughter's legacy.

In his role as chairman of England Athletics, Radcliffe heads the team charged with overseeing the modernisation of the sport in the UK.

Read more: How to follow in Paula's footsteps

"The example that Paula sets is one of sheer professionalism, dedication and the rewards that can bring," said Radcliffe.

"I only ran marathons for fitness, but we need elite athletes like Paula to act as role models and encourage people to take up the sport.

"As for Paula, I'm sure she will keep going as long as her body can stand it and as long as she still finds it rewarding.

"We are just so pleased that she been able to make a career out of something she loves doing."