Paula Radcliffe: 2004 Olympic Marathon

At the Athens Olympics, Paula Radcliffe isn't only the fastest competitor on the start-line of the women's marathon: she is the best women's marathon runner there has ever been, and by a matter of minutes. She finished 5th on the track in Atlanta, and 4th in Sydney, but has since moved to the roads with enormous success, and the gold medal has been all but hung around the world record holder's neck. But then, out on the hot and humid streets of Athens, the unthinkable happens: with just four miles remaining, Radcliffe stops, and collapses onto the pavement. Her Olympic dream, again, is in tatters. In the company of Claire Thomas, she reflects on where it all went wrong, and how - across a truly glittering career - an Olympic title remained so very elusive...