Radcliffe breaks down

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Athens - A devastated Paula Radcliffe broke down in tears and pulled out of the marathon at the Olympic Games on Sunday.

The world record holder had been favourite to win the gold medal.

But she struggled to keep up with the leader in temperatures of 28°C and pulled up in tears after she was overtaken and pushed into fourth place after just two hours of running.

The 30-year-old tried to re-start, but was unable to get going and had to sit down on the roadside while the other contestants streamed past her.

The race was won by Japan's diminutive Mizuki Noguchi in two hours 26.20 minutes.

Silver went to world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya with bronze for Deena Kastor of the United States.

The event was staged between Marathon, the village which gave the event its name, and the Panathinaiko marble amphitheatre in the centre of Athens where the modern Olympic Games were revived in 1896.