Radcliffe's mission proves impossible

Athletics/Women's 10,000 metres: Impossible is trying to rise above hopeless circumstances and turning your one dream into reality writes Ian O'Riordan in the Olympic Stadium

Impossible is trying to lift your country. Paula Radcliffe tried the impossible in Athens last night but is still left chasing her dream.

So five days after enduring the reality of not being able to win the Olympic marathon, Radcliffe has endured a similar fate - not being able to win the Olympic 10,000 metres. Again she didn't even come close. Shortly into the 16th lap of the 25-lap race she stepped into the infield of the track, put her hands up to her face, and surrendered.

Athens, what have you done to me? At that point she had drifted back to 12th position, never once being able to exert the sort of dominance that has seen her run the second-fastest time in history. She'd led for just over a lap around the 3,000-metre mark but after that was hanging on to the leaders by a thread. That thread then snapped like someone had put a scissors to it.

"I just couldn't run," she said, walking a little aimlessly through the mixed zone. "My legs were just gone. I just couldn't run."

There were no tears this time, more the shock associated with the final realisation that she was leaving Athens empty-handed. It was all so evocative of Sonia O'Sullivan's experience at the 1996 Olympics, but Radcliffe doesn't quite have time on her side to seek some final redemption. She'll be 34 come Beijing.

Clearly then the pressure and expectations she'd brought to Athens had at least partly got the better of her. And for now Radcliffe remains without any explanation for such an untimely decline in form.

But, as any Olympic athlete will tell you, there is no pressure like Olympic pressure.

And two Chinese athletes are about to endure that pressure more than anyone else in the four-year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics - Huina Xing, who provided possibly the surprise of the Games when winning that 10,000-metre gold, and their marginally more established 110-metre hurdler Xiang Liu, who equalled the 11-year-old world record when winning his gold medal.

"Winning the championship was beyond all expectation," said the 20-year-old Xing, clearly stating the obvious having stunned the Ethiopian trio with her homestretch dash. Xing had sat on their heels for the entire race, but burst in front in the final 100 metres to win in 30:24.36 - a personal best.

Her only previous appearance on the major stage was her seventh-place finish at the World championships last year. The fancied Ethiopian Ejegayehu Dibaba took silver (30:24.98) with the twice champion of the past Derartu Tulu taking the bronze (30:26.42) - adding to her gold of 1992 and 2000.

"I thought I'd won," said Dibaba. "I'm really surprised I don't have a gold medal. I missed the Chinese athlete completely."

She wasn't the only one.

For Liu, who has already made quite a name for himself in 110-metre hurdling at the age of 21, the ease at which he struck gold was even more impressive. His 12.91 seconds winning time equalled Colin Jackson's world record set in Stuttgart in 1993.

"My race went wonderfully from the start until the end," said the powerfully built Shanghai student, again with obvious understatement.

The American Terrance Trammell took silver in 13.18, and the defending champion Anier Garcia of Cuba the bronze (13.20) So, four years before Beijing, Liu becomes only the second male Chinese athlete to win an Olympic medal - following Zhu Jianhua, the former high jump world record holder, who 20 years ago took the bronze medal at the Los Angeles Games, where he reportedly collapsed under the pressure.

Back in the 10,000 metres, Ireland's Marie Davenport, the 29-year-old from Clare, ran an honest and ultimately satisfying race to finish 14th in 31:50.49. Eight years after the bad memories of the Atlanta she had an Olympic experience to smile about. "Yeah, I'm happy with the effort I put in. I thought I worked my way through. I suppose I was struggling a little the last couple of weeks, and I was a little scared coming in here. Towards the end I could feel the dehydration coming on.

"My last Olympics were such a nightmare, so definitely it's good to come back and enjoy this one, and come away with some positive memories." Davenport will now run the New York marathon in October but, like the rest of us, part of her thoughts were with Radcliffe: "I saw her step off and the track, which must have been so disappointing. There was great support out there for her tonight, but fair play to her for giving it a shot."

The last title of the night went to the American Timothy Mack, who set a new Olympic pole vault record with his winning clearance of 5.95 metres.