No I would agree - she would be an automatic choice for just about any country (Ethopia apart..). However, did you see the Japanese athelete in the 10Km tonight? She was in serious trouble from the very early stages - gasping for breath and looking decidely uncomfortable. OK she was lapped - but she did finish....

 

who ?

 

This is what www.b3ta.com think..



LOL

 

Radcliffe is a loser with a capital L. There are no excuses and certainly nothing that Steve Crap and Brendan Fukcwit can offer. Christ Almighty ! Their commentary was a disgrace ! Talk about trying to dig yourself out of a hole making excuses for her !

Radcliffe cannot finish a race unless of course she has a chance of winning it. I was glad to see her throw in the towel this evening. Problem with this woman is that she believes her own publicity and thinks she can take on the world's best. The "other" representative for the UK has my support as she finished the race but of course, she'll be overshadowed by Radcliffe's ****-up.

Radcliffe: outclassed, outgunned and out of the Olympics.

 

maybe she would run faster if she took her tights off

 

The only way she's gonna win is if she's in an STI and the others are using Nike's

 

who?

 

Let's just go back to who is actually winning the medals. We have Kelly Holmes, and the asian lad in the boxing who is guaranteed a silver (but could be a gold) making a success of their Olympic appearances'.

Where are the threads about being 'proud to be English' about these?

My deep fear about all this 'Paula' stuff is that there are racsist undertones. In other words, for the likes of the tabloids, white english failures are more newsworthy than the perceived 'nignogs' that are doing well.

I find that prospect (if it's true) distasteful. I'm I dreaming?

UB

 

Nah, nothing to do with racism.

Simple fact is, Radcliffe screwed/gave up (TWICE), the young lad is doing brilliantly and I'm rooting for him getting the gold - Prince Naseem #2.

We're all UK and NI citizens...just some of our competitors fail to see the point in finishing their chosen event

 

A Point well made, no wonder we are crap at most sports (on a worldwide scale) when we put people that lose / quit halfway through on a stage to say how great they are!!

PR is obviously a great talent, and I admire her WR marathons etc, but to quit during the race (twice ) at the pinacle event of your sport just doesn't seem praiseworthy for me I'm afraid.

 

I find it very disappointing to see the attitudes displayed here towards Paula Radcliffe because she was unable to complete the races and did not win any medals.

The point is, she worked towards these Olympics for all those years and she entered for them to try to win and to represent our country. She deserves our support for that. To castigate her because she was unable to finish and to make those offensive remarks about her is beyond the pale. No one can say the real reasons for her problems because they just don't know the facts and therefore to make assumptions is unfair and wrong. She had the bottle to enter both races, she ran 22 miles and did 17 laps of the track. She tried as well as she could and deserves appreciation for that.

The other point is, what happened to loyalty? She was in our team and surely deserves support from us all. Is it considered old fashioned now to show some generosity of spirit and to give her the benefit of the doubt instead of seizing the chance to kick her in the teeth when she is down. Is it perhap's more "modern" then to appear more manly or macho by taking advantage of someone else's misfortune even when it is not their own fault and to slam them down, or is it an attempt to detract attention attention from your own failings?

She has done more than enough to prove that she is a top athlete in the past and those who could not even hold a candle to her achievements would do well to remember that.

Les

 

Well said Les

 

In the past being the operative words, she WAS a good long distance runner she has now come to the end of her road, which strange as it may seem most athletes do, even if she'd won, she was never going to compete in the next olympics anyway, so she's gone out in a blaze of glory knowing fulll well she will be on the front of every english newspaper, and they will be falling over themselves to pay her cash when she comes home to get an interview.

Watch out for the Sunday papers soon,

Paula Radcliffe, my reason for giving up

bet ya

 

I bet James Hewitt is trying to get hold of her number right now.

 

Ahh we now have a female Gazza - another bawling athlete to appeal to the over emotional amongst us.
In the words of the the famous sociologist and thespian Vinny Jones "this country loves a loser".
How many megils have we won in this olympics and all the media attention is surrounding the ill prepared PR.

 

Que..... Max Clifford

 

So, Les. What's your take on Kelly Holmes running for a second Gold and Amir Khan's bid for boxing Gold? Where's your loyalties there? These two are english as well so why don't they get your unqualified support? Or is it all saved for the blonde haired blue eyed quitter?

UB

 

Enough of the bleeding-heart liberalism crap. PR is a highly trained athlete who had a choice of whether or not to run in the 10,000m race - she better than anyone would have known if she was fit enough and evidently she felt she was up to the job of competing for a medal. Fact is, she wasn't and isn't good enough and to quit for a second time when she knew she wasn't going to get into the medals is nothing less than an insult to the other athletes taking part.

 

Yeah, but James Hewitt tries to get the number of any female with a pulse so nothing new there.

 

Well said Leslie!!!,



.........as for Unclebucks last comment,just ignore him,i think he's losing it...

 

I don't. I think subliminal racsism lies at the core of the whole issue, no matter how unintentional it may be. Think about it.....

UB

 

I fully Agree with Leslie, and to be truthful find the bulk of this thread disgusting.

 

Ah, the rational voice of Political Correctness. lol Nobody's allowed an opinion if it's not 'on message'.

 

Hi Guys

I am not the type to bang the drum of political correctness and have alot of so called "un-politically correct views" so i am told LOL , and beleive that it is the right of all to be allowed to voice there opinions, but on this occasion this occasion, on this incident my view is as stated above.

 

UB,

I did say that I supported Kelly Homes and Amir Khan every bit as much as Paula Radcliffe. I am truly delighted at their success. I also admired Steve Backley's final appearance. The performance of our relay team was also quite oustanding.

I think your insinuation in your criticism of me is disgraceful and totally groundless. You should also know very well what I think about PC and the way it is dragging our country down.

I am very surprised at your recent remarks and would not have expected it from you. I just want to say that I believe you should think very carefully before you make such unpleasant accusations in future.

I had the right to make my opinions about the criticisms made of Paula Radcliffe known without having to put up with comments like that.

Les

 

Leslie,earlier i said UB was losing it.
I was wrong.
He's lost it.

Sorry UB......how the hell did racism come into this????????????

 

Think about it. White Anglo Saxon Paula f**ks up only to become the tabloid toast of the nation, while Kelly Holmes and Amir Khan *win* *medals* but barely make it off the back pages. What other explanation could there be? As I said before, it's deeply subliminal and most people probably aren't even aware of it - maybe even shocked at such an observaton. If anyone can provide an alternative reason please let me know...

Still, now that Kelly Holmes is officially the greatest British middle distance runner pf all time I will be expecting her to at least receive a knighthood. The same as the white middle class 'Lord' Coe has. Time will tell....

UB

 

UB,in a way you're right.But its more to do with the fact that she's good looking and has a sort of vunerability about her and in contrast Kelly Holmes,great athelete but not model material and not so photogenic.

"Is it cos i is black".......i dont think so.

 

Hmm.... Not a bad theory, except that it is fatally flawed. Paula Radcliffe is a freak. IMO not attractive by *any* stretch of the imagination, especially in those weird socks. WTF is all that about anyway? G
If I were given the choice (unlikely) I'd choose Kelly anytime.

Les - chill out old buddy. It's no disgrace to have been taken in by media hysterics.

We're all guilty of that occasionally.

UB

 

Dont see why I have to "chill out" UB. You should know by now that I make up my own mind, and take very little notice of the tabloid hysteria.

When it comes to appearances, PR is nowhere near my type and KH is a lot closer in fact. But what does appearance matter anyway? Its the achievements that count and also the way it is done.

No need to extol either PR's or KH's achievements, they speak for themselves. I did think it was unfair to castigate PR for what happened in the Marathon obviously and that is why I defended her, both before and after the 10K metres. I bet if you had worked so hard over so many years for something that meant life and death to you, that you would be upset enough when it all fell apart. No way can you blame her for being emotional. If you don't like it don't watch, but at least have some generosity of spirit towards her for her valiant efforts.

You cannot escape the fact that you accused me of being influenced on a racist basis. We are all entitled to our own opinions but that is a totallly unfounded statement and I object most strongly to it. It is a particularly unpleasant thing to say about anyone and I think you ought to withdraw it in the light of several posts that I have made in the past, which make it clear that that nothing is further from my personal ideals.

It certainly cannot be laughed off with reference to the media, as hypocritical as that might be.

Les