Post by Taxigirl on Nov 8, 2004 10:48:49 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/3990909.stm
Paula Radcliffe said victory was all that mattered after she shook off her Athens nightmare by winning the New York Marathon on Sunday.
Radcliffe outfoxed Kenya's Susan Chepkemei in the final kilometres to win in a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds.
The time was almost eight minutes off her world record but she said: "That doesn't matter at all.
"Coming here and winning was all that really mattered."
The 30-year-old said she had enjoyed her return to the marathon and had not suffered like she had at the Olympics.
"It's good to be back, feeling like myself and enjoying it," she said. "I felt totally different. I felt totally myself.
"The point where I felt tired they were normal tired - legs tired. There was nothing of the dead an empty feeling that I had in Athens."
She paid tribute to the fans who had cheered her on in New York and said the marathon was still her favoured distance.
"There was a hell of a lot of British support out there and thank you very much for that," she added.
"I was just confident in hanging on and running hard in the closing stages to win the race.
"I think the marathon is still my future."
Paula Radcliffe said victory was all that mattered after she shook off her Athens nightmare by winning the New York Marathon on Sunday.
Radcliffe outfoxed Kenya's Susan Chepkemei in the final kilometres to win in a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds.
The time was almost eight minutes off her world record but she said: "That doesn't matter at all.
"Coming here and winning was all that really mattered."
The 30-year-old said she had enjoyed her return to the marathon and had not suffered like she had at the Olympics.
"It's good to be back, feeling like myself and enjoying it," she said. "I felt totally different. I felt totally myself.
"The point where I felt tired they were normal tired - legs tired. There was nothing of the dead an empty feeling that I had in Athens."
She paid tribute to the fans who had cheered her on in New York and said the marathon was still her favoured distance.
"There was a hell of a lot of British support out there and thank you very much for that," she added.
"I was just confident in hanging on and running hard in the closing stages to win the race.
"I think the marathon is still my future."