Paula Radcliffe recalls how she was almost forgotten by the British Athletics Federation when a foot injury 10 years ago threatened her career.

"They did nothing for me," recalls Radcliffe, rehabilitating after a spell in plaster by keeping herself fit training in the local swimming pool.

The injury took a long time healing and it was not until the 1995 season that Radcliffe was effectively able to kickstart her career.

But it was not to be an overnight rags-to-riches story, something which Radcliffe readily recognised.

However there was annual progress when she finished fifth in both the world 5000metres and over the same distance at the 1996 Olympic Games.

The following year Radcliffe finally showed her true potential. At the World Cross-Country Championships she narrowly lost the gold medal to the finishing pace of Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu.

Initially Radcliffe was upset at missing out on the prize of being the first-ever athlete to win both the junior and senior championships, but on reflection realised the true merits of her performance.

There was plenty to celebrate in Turin where Radcliffe led into the final straight before Tulu slipped past.

In Marrakech 12 months later it was Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan who destroyed her cross-country dreams - but the strength needed to win another silver medal paid dividends a month later.

Radcliffe may have lost a marvellous 10000m confrontation with reigning Olympic champion Fernanda Ribeiro, but she pushed the winner all the way and to a Portuguese record of 30 minutes 48.06 seconds.

But it was Radcliffe who gained the accolades when making the fastest-ever debut over the distance and decimating Liz McColgan's seven-year-old UK record of 30mins 47.07secs by 8.49secs.

Sadly a few months later, with hopes of a medal beckoning at the European Championships, Radcliffe was again blown away by the fast finishers, finishing fifth as O'Sullivan took the first leg of a 5000m-10000m double.

It was a numbing experience for Radcliffe in only her second 10000m race and she left the Budapest track with tears in her eyes.

Yet 1998 finished on a high when Radcliffe destroyed the continent's best to capture the European Cross-Country title in December.

There were high hopes four months later that Radcliffe in the mud of Belfast might finally claim the World Cross-Country title.

Gete Wami proved the stumbling block, running away from everyone while Radcliffe suffered the agony of not finishing runner-up for a third successive year, beaten by another Ethiopian, Merima Denboba.

After the race Radcliffe insisted she did have a sprint finish, but again her lack of pace cost her the world 10000m gold medal that summer in Seville.

In a race then hailed as the greatest-ever 10000m confrontation in the 30-degrees melting box of Seville, Radcliffe tried every possible tactic to shake off Wami who tracked her every stride.

Then in the final 200m Wami slipped past to open a three-second gap, the only consolation for Radcliffe being improving her Commonwealth record to 30mins 27.13secs.

A disappointing beginning to the Millennium, saw Radcliffe never in contention in both races at the World Cross-Country Championships. Then at the Olympic Games there was even worse to come.

There was huge respect and sympathy from the Sydney crowd as Radcliffe tried to burn off her rivals. But Tulu, Wami and Ribeiro, although grimacing with pain, held on and played the waiting game until the final circuit.

The trio's finishing speed left Radcliffe a forlorn figure and even another Commonwealth record of 30mins 26.97secs offered no consolation after her efforts.

Radcliffe led for almost the entire race except when Wami hit the front and deliberately slowed the pace in the penultimate kilometre, was left for dead with Tulu producing a searing 60.26secs last lap.

The defeat hurt - and it showed clearly. A tearful Radcliffe said: "Fourth is the worst possible place to finish."

Tulu, adding to her 1992 gold medal, summed up: "Paula is a very strong runner, very fast - but she does not have a finish."

Yet the year was to finish in glory for Radcliffe. First she won the BUPA Great Run in a European record half-marathon time, then at the sun-scorched Mexican seaport of Vera-Cruz in mid-November she became the first Briton to capture the IAAF World Half- Marathon title since McColgan won the inaugural race eight years earlier.

Was a full marathon debut beckoning? "I still feel I've got a lot to offer on the track," said Radcliffe, "so my marathon debut will be in two years time at the earliest."