Radcliffe set to miss world champs

Brtain's Paula Radcliffe is unlikely to defend her marathon title at the world championships in Japan this August after developing a stress fracture to the base of her spine.

Radcliffe, who gave birth to a baby daughter Isla in January, sustained the injury during a lengthy labor and aggravated it when she began training the following month.

"Starting back with it already weak, and then with the relaxing of the hormones through pregnancy, all the bones do not come together," Radcliffe said.

"There is no easy answer to when I need to be back to have a chance in Osaka."

The 33-year-old world marathon record holder is to take a complete rest for three weeks which will leave her with precious little time to prepare for Osaka.

"I'm not going to take huge risks to make sure that I will be 100 percent to be there," Radcliffe said in British newspapers Wednesday.

from cnn