Paula Radcliffe pulled out of the 10,000 metres final this evening ending her dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
Radcliffe pulled up two-thirds of the way through the race after initially looking comfortable.
In the early stages Radcliffe - with her familiar nodding head motion - managed to stay in touch with the frontrunners.
Advertisement
However, less than a lap later, she began to slow and slipped back half-a-dozen places.
At the 5,000 metre mark she was at the back of the pack of 10 frontrunners and it became clear that she would need a big effort if she was going to get among the medals.
A short time later - at the 6,500 metre stage and some 80 metres behind the lead, Radcliffe pulled up.
Huina Xing, of China, was the eventual winner. She sprinted for the line 100 metres from the finish and won in a time of 30 minutes 24.36 seconds, with silver going to Ethiopian Ejegayehu Dibaba and double Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, also of Ethiopia, taking bronze.
After the race Radcliffe told the BBC: “I actually felt better within myself tonight but I just hadn’t recovered physically.
Advertisement
“I thought I could run an even paced race but my quads just tightened.
“Mentally the best thing was to run to try to get over the disappointment. The point was to try to get a medal but I just took too much out of myself in the marathon.
“I have no regrets about competing. It was better to have competed and see than to have watched it on the TV.”
LAP-BY-LAP SUMMARY
6600m: Radcliffe pulls out of the race.
6400m: Radcliffe looks to be struggling. She is 80 metres behind the leader.
Advertisement
6000m: Radcliffe falling back. She is eight seconds off the pace.
5600m: Race time: 17:27.00. Radcliffe in 10th place and begining to lose touch with the leading pack.
5200m: Radcliffe hanging on to the back of leading group of 13 runners.
4800m: Pace slows. Race time: 14:58.00. Radcliffe still in 9th.
4400m: Radcliffe down in 9th place 5 metres off the lead.
Advertisement
4000m: Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia leads the race.
3600m: Radcliffe bumped a bit as she is passed. She falls to 8th place as the pace quickens.
2800m Radcliffe leads the pack in a time of 8:50.3.
2400m: Lornah Kiplagat in the lead.
2000m: Radcliffe still in fourth place and running comfortably.
Advertisement
1600m: Pack spreading with Radcliffe in 4th place on the inside lane.
1000m: Slow race time of 3:16.00.
800m: Radcliffe in 5th place.
7.50pm: Race starts.
Conditions: Temperature is balmy with a cooling breeze around the stadium.
BUILD UP
Paula Radcliffe arrived at the Olympic Stadium tonight determined to bury the ghost of Sunday’s marathon failure by winning a medal in the 10,000 metres final.
Radcliffe, 30, had been favourite to strike gold in the marathon but pulled up with four miles to go, claiming she had nothing left in her legs.
The debate then raged as to whether or not she would try to redeem herself by running in the 10,000 metres and Radcliffe made the brave decision to enter the race in the hope of answering her critics - and winning her first Olympic medal.
She left the Olympic Village at 7pm local time, arriving at the stadium 30 minutes later where she headed to the warm-up track to work on her last-minute preparations with husband and coach Gary Lough, and Alan Storey, the British team’s endurance coach.
She would have until 8.50pm, and hour before the scheduled start of the race, when she had to report to the holding room where the athletes gather for final checks by the officials.
The conditions for the track race provide a stark contrast to Sunday’s road marathon, which was staged on what proved to be the hottest day of the year in Athens.