The Laureus World Sports Awards is the only global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.
NEW MEXICO, March 3, 2008 – A delighted Paula Radcliffe interrupted her pre-Olympic New Mexico altitude training to receive the 2008 Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.Britain’s legendary long distance runner, who had been unable to receive the Laureus Award earlier, said:
“I’m really thrilled to receive this Laureus Award and would like to say a big thank you to the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. I’ve been nominated four times before, and that in itself has always been a special achievement and recognition for me. To finally win it this time really means a great deal—and I thank Laureus for that.
“Hopefully, with a little bit of luck—and a lot of hard work—I’ll be back next year, having achieved what I dream of in Beijing [Gold]."
“I would also like to say a big thank you to the sport network that I have, mostly my husband Gary, but also my family and friends who have made my achievements possible. I think to win a Laureus is an amazing recognition."
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make the ceremony in St Petersburg, and this has been the earliest opportunity I have had to receive the Award. I know there has been some comment on that, but my training schedule here in New Mexico made things difficult, and this has been the first opportunity.”
Radcliffe, 34, made her comeback to racing in the autumn of 2007. She took two years absence to give birth to her first child and to recover from a lower back stress fracture. Her first race back was the Great North Run half-marathon in Newcastle, UK, in September, where she finished second.
Five weeks later she won the New York Marathon.
“I think my achievement in New York was probably the key element in me being nominated. I had my daughter Isla in January of 2007, then had a few hiccups returning to training, picked-up an injury, had to sit out the World Championships, which was very frustrating, then came back to run in the Great North Run which was a stepping stone to New York."
“I wasn’t surprised to win in New York; I wouldn’t have gone to New York if I didn’t feel, from the training indications, that I was in shape to win the race. I certainly knew I had a lot of pent-up emotion and determination from the difficulties I’d been through, and also a lot of happiness from the birth of my daughter which contributed to a positive performance."
“I think I surprised a few people who thought that after having a baby I couldn’t come back like that. I, myself, never doubted it but neither did the people around me. The most important thing is that I did win and I am now able to build upon that for Beijing.”
The challenge for a gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing is now the paramount focus of Radcliffe’s year.
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