Paula Radcliffe has been officially listed to run in tomorrow night’s Olympic 10,000 metres final - but is not expected to make a final decision on whether to compete until tomorrow morning.
“She’s been entered this morning but all you are doing is confirming your original selections,” said Max Jones, Great Britain’s athletics team leader.
“It’s now up to her whether she runs, but she does have the opportunity to pull out at any time before the race.
“I don’t know what her intentions are, the decision will be hers and no one else’s.
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“Paula trained twice yesterday and she’ll know better than me what kind of state she is in.”
Meanwhile, UK Athletics, the governing body for the sport in the UK, confirmed that a final decision wasn’t expected until tomorrow morning.
But David Moorcroft, the organisation’s chief executive, said in a radio interview that he would not be surprised if Radcliffe did run.
“The conventional wisdom is that it is not possible but Paula has a habit of making the impossible possible,” he said.
“She wasn’t able to take those savage conditions at the weekend but if her head and her heart tell her it’s the right thing to do on Friday, then I guess it’s the right thing to do.”
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Radcliffe, who would be joined by Kathy Butler in the 25 lap event, withdrew from last Sunday’s marathon final suffering from exhaustion.
The race favourite broke down with four miles of the gruelling endurance race remaining.
Radcliffe, the world record holder for the distance, has clearly been scarred by her marathon disappointment.
She broke down in tears during television and press conference interviews the following day.
There have been mixed reactions over whether Radcliffe, who is the fastest woman in the world this year over 10,000 metres, should risk another harrowing experience.
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Sebastian Coe and Brendan Foster, two former British Olympians, believe she should not subject herself to what could be another demoralising experience.
But Deena Kastor, the winner of the marathon bronze-medal from the United States, believes Radcliffe is mentally the strongest women’s runner in the world and would not let herself down.
The decision rests with Radcliffe, who four years ago finished fourth over the distance in Sydney, a defeat which saw her consider stepping up to the marathon distance.
Although a brilliant 10,000 metres runner, she is well aware that the African nations, and in particular Ethiopia, excel at the distance.
Indeed the Ethiopians, led by defending champion Derartu Tulu, are expected, just as they did four years ago and in the following year’s World Championships, to run as a team.
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Although Radcliffe knows she is a fast finisher, there is no way she is likely to match the speed of her rivals over the final 400 metres lap.
That would mean the European record-holder having needing a substantial lead into the final lap, a really tough task in the Athens heat.
And with 22 miles of the marathon still in her legs, she is at a distinct disadvantage against her fresh opponents who have prepared well for the 10,000 metres.