British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe vowed Friday to continue her career beyond the London Olympics, and practically ruled out an appearance at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
It is effectively a last shot at Olympic glory for the 38-year-old veteran, who was a favorite for the marathon and 10,000 meter gold in Athens in 2004 but pulled out of both, suffering from side-effects of medication.
"There is no doubt that the Olympics will not be [my] last race," Radcliffe said to a sports media conference in Innsbruck, Austria, by videolink from Kenya.
"I want to carry on as long as I can and as long as my body can stand the training. I'm not sure that Rio will be realistic, so this probably will be my last Olympics," she said.
On her comeback to running after raising a family, Radcliffe finished third at the Berlin marathon in September, making the qualifying time for the London Games. She had surgery on her foot since, and vowed to take it easy in the run-up to her home competition.
"The foot is getting stronger every day. ... [But] I won't race a full marathon before the Olympic Games," Radcliffe said.
