Athletics: Radcliffe's record

Paula Radcliffe continued her superb year when breaking the British record in yesterday morning's Nike London 10-kilometre road race in Richmond Park.

Producing another un- inhibited display of forceful running, Radcliffe covered a tough course in 30min 38sec. The third-fastest of all time and striking a second from the previous, and British best, achieved by Liz McColgan 13 years ago in Orlando, Florida.

Radcliffe, who was in a field of 20,000, believed beforehand that breaking any kind of record was not possible. However, in her familiar style, she was always the leading woman. At the half-way point, which she flew through in 15min 2sec, Radcliffe was well on course to smash the world record of 30min 29sec set by Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco, when running in New York in June.

However, the conditions during the second phase of the race worked against her.

"I feel so sick," said Radcliffe. "I thought I had lost it between five and six kilometres but at eight kilometres I was back on course.

"It was a very tough course but it was more the wind than anything else that slowed me. After the first fast five kilometres the next took me three minutes 23 seconds and I had to fight really hard to get back on schedule."

The men's race was won by Paul Kosgei, Kenya's world half marathon gold medallist, in 28min 23sec.