Paula Radcliffe completes first marathon in 10 years in under three hours, aged 51
She was also a multiple world champion across the marathon, half-marathon and in cross-country, although she ended her career without an Olympic title.
Radcliffe was at her peak in the era before carbon reinforced 'super shoes' first emerged in 2016, meaning that no woman has bettered her marathon time while wearing the previous style of shoes. As well as the carbon plates, super shoes have special foam which retains more energy from the athlete.
'I turned 50 last year, am now 51, and thinking about the goals I've got left. One of those was always to tick off the six marathon majors,' said Radcliffe, who had last raced at the distance in the 2015 London Marathon.
'For most of my career it was five and then Tokyo was added so I never really had the opportunity to race Tokyo. And Boston I never did because it was so close to London.'
In addition to London, Boston and Tokyo, the other major marathons are Berlin, Chicago and New York.
Ethiopia's Sutume Asefa Kebede won Sunday's Tokyo Marathon for the second successive year, finishing in 2hr 16min 31sec
The men's race was won by Ethiopia's Tadese Takele in a time of 2hr 3min 23sec to clinch what was his first major marathon title. Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei, who is the Olympic 10,000m champion, finished ninth in 2hr 5min 59sec.
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South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
James D'Arcy reveals pleasure at supporting tennis awards
D'Arcy, 49, was one of several high-profile guests, including two-time Olympic medallist Fatima Whitbread and former Lioness Lianne Sanderson, who attended this year's edition of the Tennis Black List, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA. D'Arcy, who holds credits in a blockbuster such as Oppenheimer, Avengers: Endgame and Dunkirk and is a keen tennis enthusiast in his own right, was grateful for the opportunity to attend and lend his voice to support and champion black and mixed black excellence in a sport so close to his own heart. 'It's wonderful isn't it?,' said D'Arcy. 'I know some of the people who work at Dante, so that's how I first became aware of it and very happy to be here and helping them celebrate the evening. It has been such a huge success. 'I started watching tennis when I was pretty young and it was the Borg-McEnroe final of 1980 that got me into it. 'I was always a massive John McEnroe fan because he threw tantrums and I was about the sort of right age for tantrums so although I couldn't match him on the tennis court, I could definitely throw a good tantrum!. 'The Icon award went to Arthur Ashe, who was in a field of one as a black man playing elite tennis at the level he did. 'Now here we are where someone like him is highlighted at these awards. It's great to feel real change coming. 'As with any sport, you would want for something like this to be available to everybody and that just hasn't been the case up until now. It has been kind of elitist and hopefully that's starting to change now. 'It just feels that that's the way the world should be.' Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers. D'Arcy added: 'Events like this evening are so wonderful and joyful and they're doing such great work that it seems very clear that that's the sort of thing I would like to be involved with. 'I can get behind pretty much any player if they play well but in order to play well, particularly at tennis, you need to have access to money. It's as simple as that. A career in tennis is not something that's just going to happen. Some people are naturally gifted, but it has to be crafted so it's great that we have award ceremonies like this now. 'The people here being honoured must point in the direction of the fact that some of the money is getting to a more diverse group of people and that is wonderful to see.' Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.' Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
South Wales Guardian
15 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
James D'Arcy reveals pleasure at supporting tennis awards
D'Arcy, 49, was one of several high-profile guests, including two-time Olympic medallist Fatima Whitbread and former Lioness Lianne Sanderson, who attended this year's edition of the Tennis Black List, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA. D'Arcy, who holds credits in a blockbuster such as Oppenheimer, Avengers: Endgame and Dunkirk and is a keen tennis enthusiast in his own right, was grateful for the opportunity to attend and lend his voice to support and champion black and mixed black excellence in a sport so close to his own heart. 'It's wonderful isn't it?,' said D'Arcy. 'I know some of the people who work at Dante, so that's how I first became aware of it and very happy to be here and helping them celebrate the evening. It has been such a huge success. 'I started watching tennis when I was pretty young and it was the Borg-McEnroe final of 1980 that got me into it. 'I was always a massive John McEnroe fan because he threw tantrums and I was about the sort of right age for tantrums so although I couldn't match him on the tennis court, I could definitely throw a good tantrum!. 'The Icon award went to Arthur Ashe, who was in a field of one as a black man playing elite tennis at the level he did. 'Now here we are where someone like him is highlighted at these awards. It's great to feel real change coming. 'As with any sport, you would want for something like this to be available to everybody and that just hasn't been the case up until now. It has been kind of elitist and hopefully that's starting to change now. 'It just feels that that's the way the world should be.' Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers. D'Arcy added: 'Events like this evening are so wonderful and joyful and they're doing such great work that it seems very clear that that's the sort of thing I would like to be involved with. 'I can get behind pretty much any player if they play well but in order to play well, particularly at tennis, you need to have access to money. It's as simple as that. A career in tennis is not something that's just going to happen. Some people are naturally gifted, but it has to be crafted so it's great that we have award ceremonies like this now. 'The people here being honoured must point in the direction of the fact that some of the money is getting to a more diverse group of people and that is wonderful to see.' Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.' Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Pole vault icon has broken world record twelve times amid £1m pay day
Mondo Duplantis has now broken the men's pole vault world record 12 times, with the two-time Olympic champion making history once again at the Diamond League in Stockholm Mondo Duplantis broke the men's pole vault world record for a 12th time at the Diamond League in Stockholm, with the 25-year-old achieving a clearance of 6.28m. Duplantis is a two-time Olympic champion and first broke the world record back in February 2020. He has since continued to raise the mark by small increments in order to maximise his bonus money, with athletes receiving a maximum $100,000 (£73,000) payout for setting a new world record. As a result, it is more lucrative for Duplantis to keep increasing the record by small increments rather than raising it as high as possible. Duplantis is not the only pole vaulter to have employed this tactic, with Ukraine's Sergey Bubka and Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva doing the same. Bubka broke the men's outdoor world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times, while Isinbayeva broke the women's world record 28 times. Duplantis, meanwhile, is estimated to have earned more than £1m from doing this. Speaking ahead of the Diamond League event, Duplantis stated that breaking the record on home soil was his "biggest dream". He said: "I'm pretty excited. Of course, I would say it's like a mini championship for me. "It feels like that kind of pressure that I put on myself—it means that much. You really have to defend the ground. My biggest dream now—I feel like the only thing I'm missing—is to break the record here at Stockholm Stadium. "It's kind of a thing I can't get off my mind. I have a lot of my family here—pretty much all of my family from both sides. So that raises the pressure quite a bit. In track and field, you don't really get that type of home field advantage that much. "But here, I'm able to really feel that—and it comes with added pressure. But I think it's super nice too, because it feels like I'm representing something a little bit bigger than just me when I'm on the track." Duplantis was born in America, but competes for Sweden through his mother Helena and he was delighted after breaking the record. "The first time I jumped in this stadium when I was 11 years old, it was rainy, cold and I jumped right under four metres," he explained. "It was quite high for how young I was. They etch the names of world record holders here. It's going to be really special to have my name etched in the stadium. "It's the most beautiful stadium, in my biased opinion. It'll be one of the greatest memories for me, I think, in my career." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
