News Archive

Derartu Tulu the two-times

Olympic 10000 metres champion, believes Paula Radcliffe should concentrate on

running the marathon at this year's World Championships.

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Tulu having missed last

week's Ethiopian Championships, hasn't the vaguest idea herself whether she

will line-up in

<st1:city>

<st1:place>Helsinki</st1:place></st1:city> and try and regain the 10000m title she lost

two years ago in

<st1:city>

<st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>.

<o:p></o:p>But the African superstar

is adamant that Radcliffe even though a brilliant 25-laps performer, should

settle for the marathon race in

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Finland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

<o:p></o:p>

"That is her best

distance and remember the Championships record is far slower than the time

Paula achieved in this year's London Marathon," said second in last

Sunday's BUPA Great Caledonian Run.

<o:p></o:p>"I also have to say

just from

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Ethiopia</st1:place></st1:country-region> alone, we have some great 10000m

runners and more coming through," added the Tulu surprisingly beaten by

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Latvia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Jelena Prokopcuka in the

<st1:city>

<st1:place>Edinburgh</st1:place></st1:city> 10K road race.

<o:p></o:p>

Tulu rattled off the names

of Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba the reinging Olympic and World 5000m

champions who she says could easily make the transition to the longer distance.

<o:p></o:p>

"Then there's

Ejegayehu Dibaba and Worknesh Kidane, they are getting better each year,"

said Tulu of the Olympic 10000m runner-up and fourth finisher - when she

herself was bronze medallist - in last August's Olympic 10000m final.

<o:p></o:p>

"I like Paula and

think she is a great runner. I'm also sure if she did run on the track she

would once again make it a great race," added Tulu, whose 2000 Olympic

success and World victory a year later, saw Radcliffe relegated to fourth

position.

<o:p></o:p> The Ethiopian insisted:

"But she should stick with the marathon because that is her best distance

and in the past the fastest winning time is far slower than what Paula is capable

of running."

<o:p></o:p>

Radcliffe herself has

already been named in the Norwich Union GB team for the marathon, after running

a superb two hours 17minutes 42seconds to set a new womens-only best time three

weeks ago in London.

<o:p></o:p>But the European 10000m and

Commonwealth 5000m title holder, has a burning ambition to win a global track

title to rank herself alongside the all-times great, headed by Tulu.

<o:p></o:p> Radcliffe is the second

fastest-ever 10000m of all-time, the performance