Gateshead lands Paula
May 13 2004 By The Evening Chronicle
Golden girl Paula Radcliffe has chosen Gateshead as the venue for her long-overdue return to track action this summer.
The biggest name in athletics will run over 10,000m at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix on June 27, the first time a British track crowd will have seen her in action since the Commonwealth Games two years ago.
That occasion saw her storm to victory in front of a capacity crowd at the City of Manchester stadium and the sell-out signs are likely to be dusted down again for her run at Gateshead's International Stadium.
Radcliffe has competed at the venue before, winning over 3000m in 2001. But the profile of the 30-year-old has soared since then, courtesy of a string of stunning performances on road, track and country.
She is now head-and-shoulders clear as the biggest athlete in Britain, and arguably no other sports star outside of rugby or football is as popular among the UK public at large.
And Radcliffe - Britain's best hope of an athletics gold medal at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens - admits she can't wait to take in the acclaim of the North East crowd next month.
Radcliffe said: "It's been a long time since I raced on the track in the UK and I have really missed it. Gateshead will be a welcome return.
"I am really looking forward to running there, the support from the crowds in the North East is always great so I hope people turn out in force."
Radcliffe has never competed over 10,000m in this country, but the distance is one of two she could run in Athens - the other being the marathon.
She added: "The standard of the Norwich Union British grand prix events is always very high, so Gateshead will be a good test and an important stepping stone for the Olympics."
Organisers of the Grand Prix expect a rush on ticket sales following Radcliffe's announcement. Hers is the name that every meeting in the country has been desperate to secure and Gateshead's success marks a massive coup for the North East.
The achievements of the European 10,000m champion over the past two years have caught the imagination in a manner not seen since the days of middle distance trio Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Tyneside's own Steve Cram.
That talented trio scaled some heights in their time, but Radcliffe's incredible world record time in 2003's London Marathon is on a par with any of British athletics' defining moments.
UK Athletics' chief executive Dave Moorcroft said: "Paula is without a doubt one of the most outstanding athletes in the world and she always receives a fantastic reaction when she competes in Great Britain. I'm sure the Gateshead public will be thrilled to see her."
The Loughborough athlete's name is the jewel in a sparkling line up for the June 27 meeting, which looks set to be one of the strongest ever staged at the famous old stadium.
Already signed up are Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones and Kim Collins, the favourite for the men's sprint title in Athens this year.
Jones faces some stellar competition in the women's long jump in the shape of reigning Olympic champion Heike Drechsler and another of Britain's golden girls, Denise Lewis.
Sweden's Christian Olsson will look to cement his reputation as Jonathan Edwards' likely successor as Olympic champion in the triple jump in the Gateshead man's backyard.
And the show-stealer could once again come in the women's pole vault where Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva - who set a world record in Gateshead last year - goes up against her compatriot and fierce rival Svetlana Feofanova.
Tickets for the Norwich Union British Grand Prix are available on 0870 402 8000 or online at www.ukathletics.net .
